Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) is the oldest bridge in Florence and one of its famous landmarks.
It crosses the river Arno at its narrowest point; its cobbled path connects directly to the Duomo and Piazza della Repubblica on the north side of the Arno, and the Palazzo Pitti on the south.
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We approached the bridge from the north shore, walking in the downstream direction passing the Museo Galileo and Uffizi Gallery, and then under the arch.
The landmark bridge first appears in a document of 996 and it was destroyed by flood in 1117 and again in 1333. After it was rebuilt in 1345 with three segmental stone arches, the bridge is still standing today. Requiring fewer support in the river stream than the earlier Roman constructions, this design presented less obstruction to river traffic and better flowthrough for floodwaters.
Beside being a river crossing, Ponte Vecchio is also a marketplace, a meeting point for Florentines, and possibly a place to live. Businesses and shops have been established on the bridge in the beginning.
In 1565, Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici commissioned Giorgio Vasari to add a corridor on top of the bridge which doubled its height. The private corridor allowed the Florentine duke convenient passage from the city’s government building — the Palazzo Vecchio to the duke’s private residence the Palazzo Pitti on the other of the Arno.
The Vasari Corridor (Corridoio Vasariano) can be seen as a row of windows on top of the shops on the bridge, and on top of a series of arches running parallel to the north bank of the Arno, before it makes a turn into the Uffizi Gallery. The corridor was not opened to the public at the time of our visit.
Some of our pictures here of the River Arno in the downstream direction were taken from a window inside the Uffizi Gallery. At least five other bridges are visible – Ponte Santa Trinita, Ponte alla Carraia, Ponte Amerigo Vespucci, Ponte alla Vittoria, Ponte della Tramvia.
During World War II, Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by the German army during their retreat at the advance of the British army on 4 August 1944, unlike all the other bridges in Florence. Thanks to the army officer Gerhard Wolf who only blockaded the bridge by blowing up the buildings at the ends of the bridge. A marble plaque was installed on the bridge to commemorate him (we did not see the plaque).
Standing on the bridge, looking upstream, on the north shore of the Arno, one can see the Uffizi Gallery (the windows where we took some of the pictures above) and then Museo Galileo.
Ponte alle Grazie, the next bridge on River Arno upstream of Ponte Vecchio.
Ponte Santa Trinita, the next bridge on River Arno downstream of Ponte Vecchio.
Originally, butchers, tanners, and farmers occupied the lots on the bridge, and this was not uncommon in those days. To enhance the prestige and clean up the bridge, a decree was made that excluded butchers from the bridge that is in effect to this day. Only goldsmiths and jewelers are allowed. It is understandable that the Medici family and dignitaries of their court do not want to hear and smell the animals while travelling from the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti.
As we were not shopping for any jewelry, our tour on the bridge was brief. Nevertheless, we were impressed by Buccellati‘s pieces on display.
In 1900, a bronze bust of Florentine sculptor and master goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini, was created to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his birth. This bust was placed atop a fountain located on the Eastern side of the bridge, where it remains to this very day.
At the end of our visit of the bridge, we turned back without crossing the river and headed back towards Piazza della Signoria.
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