From the safe distance of 2018, it is interesting to think back to the situation in Florence during WWII, especially after the Allied Forces liberated the Renaissance citta’.

The leaders and troops of the Allied Forces are my heroes. There are many to name.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower is foremost among them.  I recently wrote a post on his directive, which saved many cultural monuments in Italian. Here is a picture of Ike in Italy:

 

As the Allies liberated region after region in Italy, starting from the southern tip and working their way north, thanks to the farsighted leaders, as many cultural works as were possible were saved.

 

These wonderful postcards, with their simple illustrations of the Florentine architectural masterpieces, tell a poignant story.