Flood Plaque of 1333 – Via don Giancarlo Setti
The Plaques of Florence
A Memory Carved in Stone
At the corner of Via don Giancarlo Setti and Via de’ Neri, near the church of San Remigio, a marble plaque recalls the terrible flood that struck Florence on 4 November 1333.
After days of heavy rain, the Arno overflowed its banks and inundated the city, reaching this very height — as recorded by the inscription in early Italian engraved on the stone:
MCCCXXXIII
DI QUATRO DI NOVEMBRE GIUOVEDI
LANOCTE POI VENGNENDO ’L VENERDI
FU ALTA LACQUA D’ARNO INFINO A QUI.
A small sculpted hand marks the exact level the water reached — over four meters above the ground.
Above the inscription appears a cross-anchored coat of arms, probably that of the Aldighieri family, who belonged to the parish of San Remigio.
From the Arno of 1333 to 1966
Just above this ancient plaque, another marble tablet shows the height reached by the Arno during the flood of 4 November 1966, curiously on the very same day, more than six centuries later.
It is no coincidence that so many flood markers can be found in this area: the Santa Croce district lies below the river level and has always been among the most affected by its floods.
The chronicler Giovanni Villani described how, on the night of 4 November 1333, the Arno burst its banks near today’s Corso Tintori, flooding houses, workshops, and churches — even reaching the altars of Santa Croce and the Badia Fiorentina.
The raging waters destroyed three bridges — Ponte Vecchio, Santa Trinita, and Ponte alla Carraia — sparing only in part the Ponte di Rubaconte, today’s Ponte alle Grazie.
San Remigio and the Memory of the Neighborhood
The building bearing the plaque still shows medieval features, such as rusticated stonework and iron rings at ground level, evidence of its ancient origins.
Nearby stands the church of San Remigio, rebuilt in Gothic style in the late thirteenth century but rooted in a much older tradition: as early as the ninth century, a small hospital for French pilgrims on their way to Rome stood here, dedicated to Saint Remigius, bishop of Reims.
Over the centuries, the church became the heart of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament of San Remigio, whose stone emblems — a chalice and host — are still visible on nearby façades.
The street is now named after Don Giancarlo Setti, parish priest of San Remigio until his death in 2002. A devoted follower of Padre Pio, he had a small shrine with the saint’s bust placed opposite the church — a sign of faith and continuity in the long spiritual history of this corner of Florence.
PHOTO GALLERY
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI
in collaborazione con
con il contributo di
con il patrocinio di
