At 20.55 on 18 May 1895, in the area between Grassina and Antella, a strong “roar” was heard – as some witnesses reported. A terrible earthquake of high intensity had struck: grade 8 on the Mercalli scale.
The reporters immediately went to the disaster areas by public carriage, by horse and even on foot. Among the journalists was none other than the popular writer Yorickson who – in La Nazione (The Nation) which was published in several special editions – wrote the articles Una gita a Lappeggi, All’Antella e Una seconda gita a Lappeggi. Nuovi terribili particolari (A Trip to Lappeggi, To Antella and A Second Trip to Lappeggi, New Terrible Details). In fact, the epicenter of the earthquake occurred in that area, where there was extensive damage to housing and also three people who died under the rubble. A fourth victim was the wife of the agent Giannelli from the Bossi-Pucci a San Martino farm.
The great disaster even brought about the visit of the Prince of Naples (the future king of Italy) who on the following day brought words of comfort to the families of Lappeggi. The echo of the tragedy spread throughout the city and caused a constant coming and going of “wood” (carriages) filled with curious people and foreigners.
Aid and assistance was immediate with the participation of the military, the police and firefighters. In the middle of the fields near Grassina and Antella the famous yellow tents were mounted to give first aid to the many wounded and to accommodate the many people evacuated from their unsafe or destroyed homes.
The town of Bagno a Ripoli was severely hit by the earthquake in every hamlet between Baroncelli and Grassina up to San Andrea a Morgiano. The castles and villas suffered minor injuries and some cracks because “the construction was good and done well with 0.80 to 1 meter well cemented walls,” while farmhouses and some churches had considerable damage because they were of “poor construction with small almost dry walls.”
The people responded with great humanitarian spirit to requests for help but there were also some cases of looting, like what happened to a poor farmer from Ammannati whose “money and gold items to a value of 350 lire were taken.”
Professor Timothy Bertelli also printed the booklet Alcune considerazioni sul terremoto. A benefezio dei danneggiati dal terremoto del 18 maggio (Some thoughts on the earthquake. To the benefit of those afflicted by the earthquake of 18 May) which was bought by many fellow citizens to support the earthquake victims who spent many days in the yellow tents.
In the photograph is the church of S. Martino a Strada damaged by the earthquake
Massimo Casprini
