Che acquata!

The day started out sunny and warm. I even thought it was going to be hotter than the past few days because the air was quite heavy and humid. But right after lunch a temporale estivo (summer storm) broke out. I closed all the windows just in time, but water slipped through and was coming into the apartment. My staircase looked more like a water fountain for a few minutes as water gushed in through a window from the terrazza.

Living in Florence :: Che acquata!

The picture I took here was from the window of my apartment. After I took it, I had to rush around with buckets and towels to not have large lakes develop in different parts of the apartment. At one point, I looked out the window and saw nothing but grey because the rain came down in sheets.

I had to immediately contact the proprietaria (owner) of the apartment to let her know that water came in from a few different places. And not just a little bit. It took me almost an hour to clean up after the acquata (heavy storm) had passed.

I was supposed to go to the other side of town for an appointment on my bicicletta (bicycle), but I had to call to disdire (cancel) because I couldn't leave my apartment as I was afraid more rain would pour in. I unplugged my computer because I saw some fulmine (lightning) strike just above San Niccolò.

The power went off twice in my apartment after the acquata. At one point, I just sat down in front of the window and looked out at the river. The streets were quiet with only a few cars along the lungarno, splashing up water as they slowly drove by. A few motorini (scooters) were also knocked down. In places they looked like dominos: one on top of the other. One fell on the bicicletta next to mine, and luckily mine was unscathed.

The temperatures have remained cool for the rest of the day and evening. I saw the sun peek out of the clouds only a few times this afternoon. It's been sprinkling on and off all day, and more rain is forecasted for tomorrow. I just hope we don't have another acquata.

Share your comments for this blog post on the Living in Florence's Facebook page. Grazie!

Back to Top