On the occasion of the republication of  Kathrine Kressman Taylor’s masterful account of the 1966 Flood : Florence, Ordeal by Water,  Simon Gammell discusses the book and her own memories of that time with Vanessa Nicolson.

Vanessa, is a journalist and memoir writer, who in 2021 published  the acclaimed novel Angels of Mud, set in Florence at the time of the Flood.

Florence, Ordeal by Water is an intensely personal and richly detailed account in which Kressmann Taylor, a retired American art historian living in Florence, uses colour and humanity to paint a picture of the disaster.  It is a beautifully written diary that describes  the muddy water streaked with chrome yellow that engulfed the streets, and witnesses the elderly scholars working alongside younger students to save the city’s greatest and most priceless works of art. Amid the chaos, a great swan, coated with black oil, flails; a woman sings as she attacks devastation with a bucket and a rag; mudheaps are spangled with splinters of red, gold and silver Christmas tree ornaments.

“As they walk around Florence today, the hoards of tourists  are generally unaware of the little plaques high above their heads that mark where the flood water reached. Kressmann’s diary offers a snapshot of history in the making – a story of damage and destruction, but also one of recovery, resilience and regeneration.” – Vanessa Nicolson

Vanessa, who has lived in Florence off and on throughout her life, is a journalist and memoir writer, who in 2021 published  the acclaimed novel Angels of Mud, set in Florence at the time of the Flood.