A new bridge over the Arno River linking two districts of Florence will be named after the Nencioni sisters – Nadia and Caterina – killed in the 1993 mafia bombing in the city.
The bridge connects the Bellariva area on the north bank with the Anconella Park district on the south side of the river and is one of the key infrastructure projects associated with the expansion of the city’s tram network.
Florence mayor Sara Funaro announced the choice after an online public consultation organised by the municipality to select the name of the new crossing. More than 11,000 people took part in the poll, with Nadia and Caterina Nencioni receiving the largest share of votes among four proposed options.
The other shortlisted names included Nobel Prize-winning scientist Rita Levi‑Montalcini, former minister Tina Anselmi and Florentine Resistance partisan Gilda Larocca.
Who are the Nencioni sisters?
The two Nencioni sisters, aged nine years and just 50 days respectively, were among the victims of the bombing in Via dei Georgofili on the night of 26–27 May 1993. The attack, carried out by the Cosa Nostra, also killed their parents and a university student, injured dozens of people and caused severe damage to the nearby Uffizi Galleries.
Funaro described the naming decision as a gesture combining remembrance and civic responsibility, saying the sisters represent “a deep wound for Florence but also a constant reminder of our commitment to the fight against the mafia.”
The new bridge is the first major road crossing built in Florence in nearly half a century and forms part of the wider expansion of the city’s tram system, including the planned extension toward Bagno a Ripoli. The structure was installed across the Arno earlier this year and is expected to open to traffic in the coming months after finishing works are completed.
A formal ceremony to dedicate the bridge to the Nencioni sisters is expected to take place around the anniversary of the Georgofili bombing in May.
