The Giovanni Michelucci Multimedia Library in Quarrata and the flood of November 2023. Interview with Claudia Cappellini

Abstract

The intensification of extreme events linked to climate change is posing new and serious challenges to the protection of cultural heritage. Among the Italian regions, most recently affected are Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, which were hit by floods in 2023, and brought entire communities to their knees, and causing extensive damage to libraries and archives. The flood highlighted the vulnerability of cultural institutions. In particular, the case of the Michelucci Library in Quarrata, Pistoia, in Tuscany, with over 20,000 volumes lost and serious damage to the historical archive and premises, is a prime example of the critical issues that still characterize the management of hydraulic risk for cultural heritage. From an interview with the library manager, it emerges that, despite knowledge of civil protection plans and the absence of classified hydraulic risk in the area, the extreme weather events exceeded all expectations. The experience highlighted the need to update emergency plans, including “unthinkable” scenarios and specific preventive measures even in apparently safe areas. It is essential to immediately freeze damaged materials and plan structural and non-structural interventions such as digitisation, staff training and the creation of collaborative networks with institutions and citizens. The 2023 flood is therefore both a warning and an opportunity: only through an integrated, forward-looking and participatory approach will it be possible to ensure the protection and transmission of cultural heritage to future generations, transforming every tragedy into an opportunity for growth and strengthening of communities and their memories.