When in Florence there were 7 bathing establishments

In 1800 a Florence view, then, the excellent quality of the water of the river, There were several bathrooms, real bathing establishments equipped where the Florentines could go to cool off by jumping, without major problems, in Arno.

The most popular was called "Vagaloggia", in front of where today sits the Palace Favard, American Consulate area.

Here the lifeguard for a cracy, ancient coin Tuscany used until 1859, then, when it was replaced by currency 10 quattrini, gave you a linen towel, While in a large room at the wall you could find many wooden Combs tied to a rope attached to a Harpoon because it does not carry them away.

The bathroom, that the accounts of defining "Aristocrat", It was divided by an iron gate, covered by a sheet to "prevent the curiosity of the opposite sex".

Were yet to come the years of topless or nude beaches of.

On the one hand there were women and men. Among the latter, however, were not just those that, knowing how to swim, they pass on the other side, making women scream for the swagger of those blatant, that often descended into the water, with the permission of law, as God had made them, and not always had beauty models ".

In this place there were also those who did not want to spend: It was enough to go a little further the establishment.

Here, however, ran a big risk, not tied to bath in the river, How to find himself in the shoes of others ", because, who by mistake, or for "change" for the better, She took the clothes of another strong game remained unattended.

Other two bathrooms were located along the lawn of the Palace of Nero, now Tan, called "Buca del Cento", closed by curtains, and the "Fiaschiaio" from part of the Molina dei Renai.

The owner of both was Giovan Battista Bianchi, says "red", the father of the well-known and appreciated painter and restorer Gaetano Bianchi to which today is dedicated a major national award, He had a workshop where manufactured fishing nets and from which, Thanks to a wooden staircase, you could go down to the Arno, paying a farthing, While for a tea towel to dry "needed to lift a penny.

In these bathrooms were mixed men and women, the latter is linked to life a handkerchief, both "for costume, that in order to respect the decency ".

Were popular baths-family, as the kids, they were with their mothers maybe "because they saw as soon as things did stare", they created threads, bickering, often you aggregavano friends and acquaintances, and the "teatrino", Surely all the vernacular and very colorful, was, for other patrons, a cheap fun.

A real factory, slap-up, as at the time used to say, anti mark of thermal treatments, was that at the beginning of Lungarno Serristori, frequented by "flower people", with individual dressing rooms, ensure that each had their own "freedom".

Its first owner was a certain Words but then passed it to Monsieur Pons, from which took none, "Pons or baths of Molina de ' Renai".

Pons had the idea, original for its time, create some cubicles with water heated in the Arno special vessels, creating in fiorentini "so much bigotry, because the water of the River Arno – at the time, Add us – there was a great confidence, and I found the experience of heat it was a real novelty ".

More on, sailing up the river, in the area of San Niccolò, where today is located the municipal summer beach, at that time there was another bathroom, attended "the worst dregs of Florence, because there were those at port San Miniato and Feil.

This area was of concern not only to the people who attended, but mostly because each full of the river bed of smuoveva gora, bringing glasses, bones, rubbish thrown from houses of San Niccolò, at the risk of drowning ".

With 28 cents you could instead enter the "bath Matton rossi", at the end of via Torricelle. They were so named because the settlement was paved and the continuous movement of water always retained red bricks.

This too was at risk because of currents, the depth and Mama, and this was attended by "wrist notatori".

Other privileged place from these notatori, was the "Casaccia" at Piagentina, where by "doctor", an innkeeper who was so named because "clandestinely medicava certain diseases", you could eat the fried fish d'arno or sliced with a good glass of wine.

Many of these swimmers are passed to better life, transported by the River to their homes thanks to the brothers of mercy, already in those days had their trouble.

And as in the River City people will gladly dive, the Government had put a premium of ten shields for those saved those who ended up to be in trouble. Only that "made the law, found deception "and so someone began to agree with others to pretend fake drownings and collect the big reward.

For this reason the Government soon took off and by that time no one jumped into the Arno to save the victims who drank away.

It was other times, though, If we think about, with a little more goodwill from all, cleaners coupons, and greater sensitivity towards the river, Maybe they could revive?

Frank Mariani

By the number 3 – The Year of 29/01/2014