Ponte Vecchio

In front of you is the oldest bridge in Florence and one of the most photographed in the world. At this point, the narrowest stretch of the Arno, there was already a crossing in Roman times.

1A bridge rebuilt after the flood

The wooden and stone bridges that followed one another here suffered several floods. The great flood of 1333 swept away the previous one, and the present bridge was completed in 1345. Vasari credited it to Taddeo Gaddi, although other scholars point to Neri di Fioravanti. It had shops on it from the start: a way of raising rent for the city.

2From butchers to goldsmiths

For centuries butchers, tanners and fishmongers worked here, tossing their waste into the river. In 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I threw them out and reserved the bridge for goldsmiths and jewellers. The Vasari Corridor ran right overhead, and the smell was hardly fit for a prince. Ever since, this has been the golden street of Florence.

On the night of 3 to 4 August 1944, the retreating German troops blew up every bridge in Florence except this one.

Instead, they demolished the buildings at both ends to block access. The reason for the exception has been much debated and there is no single documented explanation. In 1966 the bridge also withstood the terrible Arno flood.

3What to look for

• The back rooms hanging over the water on brackets.
• The Vasari Corridor, the continuous gallery running above the shops.
• The bust of Benvenuto Cellini, the most famous goldsmith of all, in the middle of the bridge (1901).