 Stele of Friendship by Galeazzo Auzzi On November 4th, 1966, Florence suffered its worst ever flood; parts of the city were under 20 feet (6 m) of water! Thousands of people, from all over the world, flocked to the city to offer their assistance. Working tirelessly to save countless artefacts and works of art from the sludge, which was left behind when the flood water retreated, they were nicknamed the angeli del fango (angels of mud). To mark the tenth anniversary of the flood, the city council commissioned local artist Galeazzo Auzzi (1934-2016) to create a monument to honour the invaluable help the 'angels of mud' provided. The monument, known as the Stele dell' Amicizia (Stele of Friendship, 1976), stands in a small garden overlooking the river Arno, close to the Porta San Niccolo.  Stele of Friendship |