A veritable apocalypse of mud, death, homelessness and billions of euros in damage: this is the situation in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, which is facing its worst flooding in a century. At least 13 people have died so far and more than 10,000 have been displaced.
Currently, 42 municipalities in the region are affected by the floods. Twenty-three rivers and streams have been flooded and large sections of the A14 motorway between Faenza and Forlì are under water, as are towns such as Cesena, Bagnacavallo, Savignano sul Rubicone, Santarcangelo di Romagna, Lugo and Ravenna. In the coastal towns of Rimini and Riccione, the beaches that were ready for the start of the summer season have been completely devastated.
For the moment, it is difficult to see the damage caused to historical monuments. In Forlì, where houses and shops were destroyed, the exhibition fashion art at the San Domenico Museums was closed for three days, although the site avoided any damage from flooding and heavy rain. All museums in Faenza have been closed, including the Ceramics Museum and Palazzo Milzetti.
Elena Rossoni, the director of Palazzo Milzetti, says the museum was “barely touched” by the water that reached the historic center of Faenza. “We are monitoring the situation, but the water hasn’t quite reached the museum,” she says. In Faenza, the heavy rains of early May had already caused significant damage to the historic Bottega d’arte ceramica Gatti.
The situation is also very serious in Ravenna, where the Classis Archaeological Museum has become an emergency shelter for evacuees. “The night from Wednesday to Thursday went well,” says Francesca Masi, the new director of the RavennAntica Foundation. “To see our museum full of people, around 800, with at least 150 of their dogs, and to be able to welcome everyone into the beauty of our heritage was very moving. Many citizens who were able to return home this morning promised to come back here to visit,” she said. When the Classis museum ran out of beds to accommodate more evacuees, deck chairs arrived from nearby coastal bathing establishments.
In Bologna, a river of water flowed along Via dell’Archiginnasio past the historic library and Palazzo Re Enzo yesterday.
The Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna was closed on May 17 and 18 but is due to reopen today. “It was decided by the head of the cultural department of the municipality to allow restoration activities after the emergency situations that occurred in various parts of the city. Many employees were working from home,” says its director.
Also in Bologna, the Genus Bononiae museums remained open but events were cancelled, including the presentation of a newly acquired painting, that of Ludovico Carracci Holy Family with Saints John, Ursula and Matthias, which was scheduled for May 18 at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. Also in the capital, libraries and some roads along the hills were closed due to the risk of landslides.
At the time of writing this report, more than 3,100 people had taken refuge in sites set up by the various municipalities concerned: 2,500 in the Ravenna region, 420 in Bologna, 200 in Forlì-Cesena and seven in the Rimini area. A red alert has been issued for the plains and hills of Bologna as well as the low hills, plains and coast of Romagna. An orange alert is in effect in the mountains of Romagna, as well as in the central hills of Emilia and the plains of Modena and Ferrara. The Emilia-Romagna Region has launched a current aid account, with the Iban number IT69G0200802435000104428964.
