In the 2 1/2 years we've spent telling you the stories of this incredible land, we've hardly ever talked about the river that made it what it is. That's not a coincidence as with rising urbanisation and pollution, Tuscans have lost the primal connection to our mother river. While nowadays people only think about the Arno when it becomes dangerously high, things weren't always like this. Up until not many years ago, when people had less disposable income and travelling was much harder, people of the interior spent their summers by the river. The relationship of Florence with its river was much more complex and is now only recovering after the devastating 1966 flood and several decades of neglect. This is why this week What's Up Tuscany will bring you by the river to tell you everything there is to know about how Florentines loved their river very deeply. If you listen to the full episode I'll talk about how, from the 1700s, many establishments sprung up on the banks of the Arno. You had a bit of everything: posh places where you had barbers and hairdressers on call and more rowdy spots where furious gossiping often degenerated in wild brawls. The youngsters used the river to prove their prowess, in races that sometimes became quite dangerous. The problem became so serious that the Chamber of Commerce offered a substantial reward for every life saved, only to back down when people started faking drownings. The relationship with the Arno was so deep that, until the 1960s, the famous Rari Nantes waterpolo team used to train and play their games on the river. In the final chapter, I will tell you how Tuscans are rediscovering the Arno, pointing you to several interesting river mini-cruises and even what they call the "Florentine Gondola". There are also trips you can take all along the course of the river, from Pisa to my hometown of Pontedera. Next time you come visit us, why don't you get to know the Arno a bit better. It's got a nasty temper, but it's still a very fascinating river. Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY) https://www.conoscifirenze.it/come-vivevamo-a-firenze/126-Bagni-in-Arno-uno-stile-di-vita..html http://www.archivi.toscana.it/visti-da-vicino/percorsi/una-citta-e-il-suo-fiume-firenze-e-la-vita-lungo-larno/divertirsi-in-arno-i-bagni https://ilpopolopisano.it/1595-bagno-in-arno?amp=1 https://www.trattoriazaza.it/larno-non-solo-dargento/ https://www.larno.it/2022/03/21/quando-larno-era-una-grande-e-bella-piscina-e-un-campo-da-gioco/ https://www.turismo.pisa.it/place/le-piagge-e-san-michele-degli-scalzi https://www.quinewsfirenze.it/amp/firenze-nel-1950-i-fiorentini-nuotavano-in-arno.htm https://www.firenzetoday.it/eventi/battello-crociera-arno-gita-costo-come-fare.html https://townsofitaly.com/it/firenze-toscana/crociera-imbarcazione-tipica-fiume-arno BACKGROUND MUSIC Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental) Aerocity - Love Lost Wayne John Bradley - Summercycle Profound Beats - Lo-fi EzaOne - Supernova Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/argofox/aerocity-love-lost https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/summercycle-original-indie-style-instrumental-creative-commons https://soundcloud.com/profoundbeats/profound-beats-lo-fi-free-download https://soundcloud.com/argofox/ezaone-supernova https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons http://www.pipechoir.com/