Help Florence, City of the
World !!
In 1944, towards the end of the Second World War, a
man from Friuli, a Swiss and a Frenchman succeeded in declaring Florence
"Open City": The Cardinal of Florence Elia Dalla Costa, the Orchestra
Conductor Igor Markevitch and the Honorary Consul of Switzerland, Karl
Steinhäuslin. Thanks to the quiet but relentless pressure exerted by these
three men, who were not Florentines by birth, Florence could avoid irreparable
destructions which the barbarity of War could have inflicted on her.
Now a serious threat looms again on our City and the patrimony it shelters: a
treasure-house of art and history that belongs to all inhabitants of the world.
It is to them that we turn again for help, to preserve this patrimony from the
serious consequences that will result from the implementation of an
inconsiderate project.
The barbarity of the last World Conflict caused deep wounds to our City, but a
kind of gentlemen's agreement between the belligerent parties prevented major
and irreparable damage.
Even on occasion of that unprecedented threat the respect of the world towards
our City prevailed, with the exceptional result of preserving what is
universally believed to be the heritage of all mankind.
Today a more subtle, less obvious risk is again approaching our City; it is
less manifest because of disinterest or perhaps vested interest by the powers
that be. To repel it, to put an end to it for good will require not a quiet but
this time a loud and general outcry from the whole World Community: Florence
must not be damaged, Florence must not even risk to be damaged.
The danger in question is a plan which will profoundly alter the soil on which
Florence stands. This plan foresees the digging and construction of a large
Railway Tunnel which will traverse a good deal of our ancient City centre, in
order to allow the transit of the new breed of High Speed Trains.
This tunnel will pass only a few yards away from our Cathedral, and right under
ancient monuments such as the Medicean Fortezza da Basso, which by our Laws
should be protected against any risk of damage.
The planners of this huge project have explicitly declared that it will cause
damage to City buildings near its course, diligently listing 170 at risk. The
damage may result from the excavation, from changes in the City subsoil and
underground water layers, or from the vibrations caused by the operation of the
High Speed Trains.
They have even carefully graded the severity of the damage expected, but have
limited this calculation to only the buildings immediately above the tunnel.
However the damage which may ensue from this monumental programme cannot be
predicted with any certainty. This because of a multitude of variables,
including changes to the underground water layers which are expected to rise by
about three meters in the area where the Tunnel will be built.
Such is the risk to our City that it is planned to closely monitor both the
building and the operation of this enterprise for at least 10 years.
Of the 170 buildings deemed to be at risk many are of great artistic interest.
What will happen to these architectural masterpieces, to the frescoed walls
painted by some of our most famous artists, is not known with any degree of
certainty. We shall have to wait, monitor and see!
The Laws which we trusted were to protect these monuments should have made this
high speed tunnel unthinkable. On the contrary it has already been proposed to
alter these Laws.
This shows how the planners expect "understanding" from our Municipal
Administration, whose role should be to protect not to let the City be harmed.
They too ignore the cardinal rule that should apply to any major building
project in Cities of such cultural importance, that whatever is being planned
must have as a prerequisite that no damage to existing structures must occur.
The majority of the citizens of Florence are against this project, and hope
that International Organisations will give them a helping hand. They too have
the right if not the duty and responsibility to prevent this insensate
operation, this predictable threat.
Vested interests at various levels, bring the last World War back to our
memory. We hope that now as then the disinterested but fine sensitivity of
foreigners will help us save our City from wanton but serious damage and
destruction.
During the violent convulsions of that conflict it was the sensitivity of the
belligerent powers that protected our City, when its citizens were impotent to
do so on their own. The name, the artistic and historical value of our City
accomplished that miracle.
World conflicts have now been happily replaced by understanding, collaboration
and mutual protection at international level, which will prevent the barbarity
of those days from recurring. We hope that such International Assistance will
help us prevent a greater disaster which, through incompetence or disinterest,
is threatening our City for the second time. Florence needs the help of the
World Community for the continued preservation of its World Heritage before it
is too late.
Carlo SUCCI
·
Ing.
Carlo Succi, Piazzale Donatello 13, 50132 FIRENZE, ITALIA, Tel.
00390552478457, Fax 00390552343495
·
Geom.
Luigi Impallomeni, e-mail alpha.srl@dada.it
·
Associazione
di volontariato Idra, e-mail idrafir@tin.it