Angels and Pandemics in Bagni di Lucca
In remote houses and villages set in the rural beauty of Bagni di Lucca the fight against Covid 19 has been taking place like in the rest of Italy and indeed the world. We are trying to keep our villages virus free but this isn’t the first time the hills of Bagni has faced a pandemic. The Spanish flu hit Bagni di Lucca very hard. The first world war had claimed the lives of many young men in the area but the Spanish flu claimed many more.
The area was helped through those difficult years by two American lovers Rose Cleveland, the wealthy sister of President Grove and Evangelina Whipple the widow of an Episcopal bishop from Minnesota. These two strong rich independent women chose to settle in Bagni di Lucca perhaps because they thought that this little spa town with its large foreign community and previous acceptance of the more open love lives of the romantic poets would be more accepting of their lifestyle choice.
These women were also rich philanthropists. They were very active during the first world war helping the British and Belgiums and then the Italians when they entered the fray. However, the difference between Cleveland and Whipple and other rich compatriots was that they didn’t just abandon Italy or give money but were actively involved in the war effort.
At this time a friend Nelly Erichsen a British writer and illustrator was also part of this female community.
Bagni di Lucca like now was also the refuge for many displaced people and like the ones today, many had escaped from war. After the defeat of the Italians at the Battle of Caporetto in 1917, a large number of refugees from Gorizia were offered sanctuary in the valley. Evangelina Whipple used her experience as the wife of an Episcopal bishop to organise boarding schools for around a hundred orphaned children, she had previously set up similar schools for the indigenous children in Minnesota. The schools were also funded by Whipple and done in cooperation with the Stigmatine sisters, who took in around one hundred. Rose was in charge of the women and Nelly the men. The local population were also involved with children attending schools sponsored by the women and factories were set up to provide bandages for men at the front.
One wonders if this act of kindness brought the terrible flu pandemic to the valley.
To combat the epidemic, Whipple and Cleveland set up a field hospital in collaboration with the local mayor. Medical staff were hired and brought in from the nearby cities of Florence and Livorno.
While nursing the sick Nelly caught the virus and died on 15th November 1918 sadly just 4 days after the armistice was signed between Germany and the allies. Cleveland caught the flu while nursing Nelly and she too died on November 22. Evangelina however, didn’t let her broken heart stop her from continuing with her work and lived on for another 12 years. These three remarkable women are buried in the English cemetery on Via Letizia in Bagni di Lucca.
The area was helped through those difficult years by two American lovers Rose Cleveland, the wealthy sister of President Grove and Evangelina Whipple the widow of an Episcopal bishop from Minnesota. These two strong rich independent women chose to settle in Bagni di Lucca perhaps because they thought that this little spa town with its large foreign community and previous acceptance of the more open love lives of the romantic poets would be more accepting of their lifestyle choice.These women were also rich philanthropists. They were very active during the first world war helping the British and Belgiums and then the Italians when they entered the fray. However, the difference between Cleveland and Whipple and other rich compatriots was that they didn’t just abandon Italy or give money but were actively involved in the war effort.
At this time a friend Nelly Erichsen a British writer and illustrator was also part of this female community.
Bagni di Lucca like now was also the refuge for many displaced people and like the ones today, many had escaped from war. After the defeat of the Italians at the Battle of Caporetto in 1917, a large number of refugees from Gorizia were offered sanctuary in the valley. Evangelina Whipple used her experience as the wife of an Episcopal bishop to organise boarding schools for around a hundred orphaned children, she had previously set up similar schools for the indigenous children in Minnesota. The schools were also funded by Whipple and done in cooperation with the Stigmatine sisters, who took in around one hundred. Rose was in charge of the women and Nelly the men. The local population were also involved with children attending schools sponsored by the women and factories were set up to provide bandages for men at the front.
To combat the epidemic, Whipple and Cleveland set up a field hospital in collaboration with the local mayor. Medical staff were hired and brought in from the nearby cities of Florence and Livorno.
While nursing the sick Nelly caught the virus and died on 15th November 1918 sadly just 4 days after the armistice was signed between Germany and the allies. Cleveland caught the flu while nursing Nelly and she too died on November 22. Evangelina however, didn’t let her broken heart stop her from continuing with her work and lived on for another 12 years. These three remarkable women are buried in the English cemetery on Via Letizia in Bagni di Lucca.
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