Florentia Florens – The Medal of Solidarity
A medal to mark the anniversary of the flood, created by master goldsmith Paolo Penko, and donated by the artist himself to the authorities and those who worked to save the city’s cultural heritage, as part of an initiative promoted by the Rotary Club, which did so much for the flood victims in 1966.
Forty years ago, an avalanche of water and mud swept through our city. In the face of this tragic event, the Florentines and the men and women who came here from all over the world had the courage, the strength, the ability to react with a determination that led to the rebirth of Florence.
To celebrate this anniversary and in the wake of the great tradition of Florentine artistic craftsmanship, Master goldsmith Paolo Penko has created the commemorative medal: “-Florentia Florens – The Medal of Solidarity”.
“Against the backdrop of the cogwheel of Rotary International and Palazzo Vecchio, a symbiosis of threatening waves in the shape of the Lily are transformed into the wings and tail of a dove with an Iris in its beak, a symbol of hope, reminding us that the aspiration for peace among peoples, which Florence has always pursued, stems from the spirit of solidarity among all human beings.”
The medal will be donated by the artist, a member of the East Florence Rotary Club, during the event “Il Ricordo di Piero Bargellini Sindaco dell’Alluvione” (The Memory of Piero Bargellini, Mayor of the Flood), on the afternoon of 11 November 2006 in Palazzo Vecchio, in the Salone dei 500, at 5 p.m., to all the authorities who worked to save the cultural heritage of the city, as part of an initiative promoted by the 12 Florentine Rotary Clubs of the Medici Area.
During the same event, the Mayor of Florence, Leonardo Domenici, will donate the commemorative jewel “Florentia Florens” made by Maestro Paolo Penko to the Members of the Municipal Council in November 1966. The jewel on which the medal is based is made of silver, chiselled and engraved using the ancient techniques of the Florentine goldsmith’s art and embellished with a ruby.
The event was attended by:
- Leonardo Domenici, Mayor of Florence
- Andrea De Martino, prefect of Florence
- Paolo Margara, Governor of District 2070
- The 12 Presidents of the Rotary Clubs of the Medicean Area
With contributions from:
- Antonina Bargellini
- Edoardo Speranza
- Pier Francesco Listri
Moderator:
- Cosimo Ceccuti
The Solidarity Medal was awarded to:
- COMUNE
- ARCIDIOCESI DI FIRENZE
- PREFETTURA
- REGIONE
- PROVINCIA
- QUESTURA
- CARABINIERI
- GUARDIA DI FINANZA
- POLIZIA MUNICIPALE
- VIGILI DEL FUOCO
- FORZE ARMATE(ESERCITO)
- UNIVERSITA’ DI FIRENZE
- MISERICORDIA
- FRATELLANZA MILITARE
- RAI
- LA NAZIONE
- CAMERA DI COMMERCIO
- ASSINDUSTRIA
- SOVRINTENDENZA PATRIMONIO STORICO ARTISTICO (BRUNO SANTI)
- SOVRINTENDENZA POLO MUSEALE FIORENTINO
- OPIFICIO PIETRE DURE
- UFFIZI
- OPERA DEL DUOMO
- OPERA S. CROCE
- BARGELLO
- MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO
- MUSEO DELLA SCIENZA
- BIBLIOTECA NAZIONALE
- ARCHIVIO DI STATO
- FONDAZIONE DI FIRENZE PER L’ARTIGIANATO ARTISTICO
- SOCIETA’ DI SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA
- ACCADEMIA DEI GEORGOFILI
For this event, master goldsmith Paolo Penko has created a wonderful brooch, very special for the colours of the precious metals and the different coloured diamonds. The Florentia Florens brooch, in pink gold with yellow and white gold highlights, is shaped using the lost wax casting technique, chiselled and engraved, and embellished with 115 diamonds in various shades of colour: white, brown, yellow and black for a total of 3.20 ct. This jewel is part of the collection of the Museo degli Argenti of Palazzo Pitti in the contemporary jewellery section.
