"ON the night of November 4, 1966, Florence was struck by the greatest catastrophe in its modern history. The banks of the rampaging River Arno burst, submerging parts of the city beneath 6m of mud and floodwater. The torrent damaged 14,000 works of art and millions of rare books, providing the director of Florence's institute of conservation, Umberto Baldini, with the greatest challenge of his career. "

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