On 14 March 2025, the same flood that hit Sesto Fiorentino brought to light a landfill site near Firenzuola that had been forgotten since the 1970s. It had remained buried for decades, invisible, until the water and mud dragged it out, scattering waste along the Rovigo and Santerno rivers. Plastic, scrap metal, unnamed objects: the past resurfaced in unexpected forms.

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For months, access to the rivers remained prohibited. Specialised companies removed the most bulky materials, but tiny fragments continued to float among the stones and vegetation. It was only in June, after a long wait and a thousand bureaucratic steps, that over 150 volunteers were finally able to descend into the riverbeds. Women, men, boys and girls, armed with gloves and black bags, worked together from dawn to dusk.