International Conference: Florence 1966-2016 - Resilience of the Art Cities to natural Catastrophes: the Role of Academies

Some 50 experts from around the globe converged on Rome, Italy, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Florence flood and to discuss scientific, technological and political developments over the past half-century that can help to protect cultural heritage and ‘Art Cities’ such as Florence from natural disasters. The meeting, hosted by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei at its headquarters in Rome, took place on 11-13 October 2016, a short time ahead of the 3 November anniversary of the River Arno bursting its banks and drowning much of Florence and its irreplaceable art treasures.

The ‘International Conference – Florence 1966-2016 – Resilience of Art Cities to Natural Catastrophes: The Role of Academies’ also saw the presentation of an in-depth report by the International Technical and Scientific Committee (ITSC) convened by the City of Florence. Members of the internationally constituted ITSC have performed an independent assessment of the effectiveness of actions undertaken to reduce the risk of further flooding in Florence. Unfortunately, according to Gerald Galloway (member of the US National Academy of Engineering and chair of the ITSC), “the level of protection existing in Florence at the present time does not provide the level of protection required.” And this is despite the repeated promise to do “Whatever it takes” to prevent such an event happening again – no matter what the cost.

The conference culminated to the signature of the "Charter of Rome on the Resilience of Art Cities to Natural Catastrophes". The Charter points out that cultural heritage and Art Cities need to have a special status when developing plans for reducing the impacts of natural disasters, said Seminara, and it aims to inform politicians of their responsibilities in this regard. The Charter also notes that academies must also take on activities such as educating the public and raising awareness, promoting additional research and providing a forum for discussing results, and providing advice to policy-makers based on these results in a way that avoids conflicts of interest.