Ponte Vecchio
فلورنسا
The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest and most famous bridge in Florence, the only one to survive the Second World War. With the goldsmiths' workshops hanging out over the Arno, it is one of the city's symbols. Above the workshops runs the Vasari Corridor, the Medici's secret passage.
The story of the bridge
A bridge has joined the two banks of the Arno at this point since Roman times. The present Ponte Vecchio was rebuilt in 1345, after a violent flood had destroyed the previous one. It is the oldest bridge in Florence and one of the few examples in the world of an inhabited bridge, with its rows of workshops overlooking the river.
The goldsmiths and the workshops
Originally the bridge was home to butchers, fishmongers and tanners, who threw their waste into the river. In 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici, annoyed by the bad smells, ordered that the workshops be given exclusively to goldsmiths and jewellers. Since then the Ponte Vecchio has been the kingdom of the goldsmith's craft, a tradition that has continued unbroken for over four centuries. In the middle of the bridge opens a small square with the bust of the famous goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini.
The Vasari Corridor
Above the workshops on the eastern side runs the Vasari Corridor, a raised passageway built by Giorgio Vasari in 1565 at the wish of Cosimo I de' Medici. The corridor linked Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti, allowing the grand dukes to move about safely without mixing with the people. During the Second World War, the Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge in Florence spared by the mines of the retreating troops.
Visiting the Ponte Vecchio
The bridge links the historic centre to the Oltrarno and leads towards Palazzo Pitti. Strolling past the goldsmiths' windows and looking out over the Arno at sunset is an unforgettable experience. The view of the bridge from the nearby bridges, such as Ponte Santa Trinita, is among the most photographed. A symbolic stop on the Florentine treasure map.
