Ponte Vecchio. Ponte Vecchio - the oldest bridge in Florence (Italy)
The Old Bridge (Ponte Vecchio) in Florence over the Arno River in 1345 on the site of an ancient Roman bridge demolished by a flood. Initially, butchers' shops were located here, animal carcasses were butchered on site, and waste was thrown into the river. In general, the smell around was very powerful, especially in the summer heat.
Soon the Old Bridge became a place of lively city trade. The merchants' shops were located right on the bridge. Presumably, the concept of “bankruptcy” appeared here. If a merchant could not pay his debts, the city guards would destroy his shop. So from the two words “counter” (banco) and “broken” (rotto) the word “bankrupt” was derived.
According to legend, Mussolini made the windows in the center of the bridge for Hitler so that the Fuhrer could admire the view of Florence. According to one version, Hitler wanted to blow up the bridge during his retreat, but the partisans prevented him.
This is the first bridge in history in the construction of which such arches were used. The bridge consists of three arches, the length of the central arch is 30 meters, height – 4.4 meters, the side arches are smaller: length – 27 meters, height – 3.5 meters.
This time we were lucky with the weather.
Old Bridge at the beginning of the 20th century
In the 16th century, the ruler of Florence, Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, drew attention to the area of the Old Bridge; at the will of the Duke, rich jewelry shops were located here. The Old Bridge received the second name “Golden Bridge”, the status of which changed dramatically.
“There is a bridge in Florence called the Old Bridge. It is still built up with houses; these houses housed workshops for gold and silver products.
True, these were not products in the modern sense: the manufacture of gold and silver things in our days is a craft; before it was art. That is why there was nothing in the world more wonderful than these workshops, or rather, the objects that decorated them; there were round onyx goblets, girded with writhing dragons - fairy-tale monsters raised their heads, extended azure wings strewn with golden stars, and, opening their fire-breathing mouths, looked menacingly at each other with their ruby eyes...
And all this was not only skillfully executed, but conceived with poetic inspiration; not only charming, like charming trinkets for decorating a lady's boudoir, but magnificent, like the greatest works of art that can immortalize the reign of a king or the spirit of a nation..." - this is how Alexandre Dumas described the Old Bridge in the novel "Ascanio".
Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, who made the Old Bridge Golden.
Eleonora of Toledo, wife of Cosimo de' Medici. (Grandmother of the French Queen Marie de' Medici)
In honor of the marriage of his son Francesco and Princess Joan of Austria, the ruler ordered the construction of a corridor connecting the two city squares of Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti, which passed over the bridge buildings.
The Medici family was not noble, descended from a family of bankers, and Cosimo wanted to impress his new royal relatives.
Heir - Francesco de' Medici
His bride, Princess Joan of Austria, for whom a secret corridor was built.
Judging by the portrait, the princess was capricious.
Cosimo Medizi ordered dormer windows to be made in the gallery above the bridge in order to eavesdrop on what commoners were saying about him.
The secret passage was called the Vasari Corridor in honor of the architect who embodied the Medici idea.
Street art on the theme of the Middle Ages
Now in the Vasari Corridor there is an art gallery, which also houses works by Russian artists Kustodiev and Kiprensky.
The road from the bridge to the central square.
Mannelli Tower
The Vasari corridor passed through the city's buildings. The noble Munnelly family were the only ones who resisted the passage of the Corridor through their property, as it happened for other buildings. The Munnellys insisted that the Corridor be built around the tower.
Legend has it that the Munnelly family paid a tax to the Medici for several years for their intervention in the project.
"At noon, cats look under the benches to see if they are black.
shadows. On the Old Bridge - now it has been repaired -
where he bustles against the blue hills of Cellini,
they are briskly selling all kinds of branzulette;
the waves move over the branch, murmuring behind the branch.
And the golden strands of the rare one bending over
thing of a beauty rummaging between boxes
under the unsatisfied glances of young traders,
seem to be the trace of an angel in the realm of the blackheads."
As the poet Joseph Brodsky wrote.
On the bridge in 1901, a monument to Benvenuto Cellini, the famous sculptor and jeweler of the 16th century, was erected. Anyone familiar with the work of A. Dumas has probably read the novel “Ascanio” about the adventures of this talented man.
Monument to jeweler Benvenuto Cellini on the Old Bridge. Nearby there is a building on the roof of which (above right) you can see a medieval sundial installed in the 14th century.
View from the Old Bridge to the Arno River.
Each city has its own building, which is its symbol and is associated with the city. Along with Florence Cathedral, the old Renaissance bridge called Ponte Vecchio is the city's most striking feature.
Most famous bridge in Florence, and also the oldest of the city's bridges. Ponte Vecchio- structure with three stone arches, built to replace the old one wooden bridge, which has crossed the Arno River at this location since Roman times. The upper side of the bridge, known as the Vasariano Corridor, was designed by the architect Vasari to link the Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery with the Pitti Palace. Today it houses a famous art gallery. 
This bridge is built up and inhabited by people. Originally there were grocery stores here, but by the end of the 15th century Ponte Vecchio was favored by jewelers and silversmiths. In the middle of the bridge there is an open area from where you can watch the river and its banks. 
It is said that this is where the economic concept of bankruptcy came from: when a seller could no longer pay his debts, soldiers came and destroyed (rotto) his trading post (banco). This practice became known as “bancorotto” (broken table). Since the merchant no longer had a table, he was no longer able to sell anything. 
During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by the Germans during their retreat on August 4, 1944, unlike all other bridges in Florence. Hitler was given a special order to leave the bridge intact and unharmed. Access to it was, however, difficult due to destroyed buildings on both sides of the river. Later, all the buildings were rebuilt, some of them according to original designs, and some according to new ones 
Along the Ponte Vecchio there have always been many padlocks attached to various places, especially on the railings around the statue of Benvenuto Chelini. This tradition appeared in Florence recently, although it has existed in Russia and Asia for a long time (for example, the bridge of love in Moscow). The owner of the lock shop at the end of the bridge contributed to this. Lovers hang locks by closing the lock and throwing the key into the river, which symbolizes eternal love. This is a good example of the negative impact of mass tourism: thousands of locks were periodically removed, deteriorating or damaging the structure of the century-old bridge. Over time, they stopped doing this after the city government placed a sign on the bridge mentioning a fine of 50? for one lock of love. It turned out that those who want to seal their love are over 50? significantly less 
What is famous about the Vecchio Bridge in Florence: a little history and modernity. How Ponte Vecchio managed to survive devastating floods and why from afar it resembles. Where is the old bridge of Florence, how to get to it yourself from the city center and what to see.
Ponte Vecchio is the oldest and most recognizable bridge in Florence. Not a single tourist bypasses it. During its existence, it was rebuilt several times due to constant floods. Translated from Italian its name Ponte Vecchio means "Old Bridge". Today, guests of the city can see it in its original appearance, since practically nothing has changed here over many centuries.
Excursions in Florence and surrounding areas
The most interesting excursions in the capital of Tuscany - these are routes from local residents. We recommend starting with sightseeing tour(Ponte Vecchio in the program). And then choose a program with a twist - at least gastronomic tour, even an exit route, even medieval Florence.
From the history of the Vecchio Bridge
The decision to build the Ponte Vecchio bridge at this point on the Arno River was not accidental. Once upon a time, a bridge with wooden superstructures stood in its place from the ancient Roman era. However, as a result of a flood, it was destroyed and then rebuilt from stone. But this did not help cope with the flow of water. The structure was again demolished by a natural disaster in 1333. According to historians, the work of restoring it was entrusted to Neri di Fioravanti. Construction was completed in 1345. After this, the bridge remained for many centuries a place where lively trade was carried out.
Interestingly, Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed during World War II. The rest of the historical buildings in the city were much less fortunate, many of them were severely damaged.
From the mid-15th century, butchers' shops from all over Florence were moved here. Their number turned out to be much greater than expected, then it was decided to make several additional extensions.
Over time, the straight line of buildings on both sides of the bridge has changed greatly due to various transformations. In 1556, by order of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, the so-called Vasari Corridor, passing over the Ponte Vecchio itself. This corridor was named in honor of the architect who worked on its creation. The Duke could easily move along it from Palace Vecchio to the residence on the other side of the Arno - Pitti Palace.
Despite the fact that the bridge was rebuilt several times, it failed to survive another flood in 1966. A natural disaster struck the city, resulting in many buildings being damaged. Of course, everything has been restored and restored for decades, but the city authorities had to bear enormous costs.
Sights of Ponte Vecchio
In the western part of the building there is a bust of the Italian jeweler and artist - Benvenuto Cellini. It was created by a sculpture named Raffaello Romanelli, born in Florence. A popular tradition among city residents and tourists is to hang so-called “love locks” on the fences around the statue.
* This “cute” habit is practiced by uncontrollable lovers all over the world - in particular, forged grilles suffer from it, the fences of the lovers' bridge in Paris recently collapsed, and local residents often oppose marginalized “tradition.”
Entrance to the Vecchio Bridge from the embankment
Jewelry shop on the bridge (Florence, Italy)
Jewelry as a souvenir (Vecchio Bridge, Florence)
On the Ponte Vecchio itself there are still shops, shops and workshops. You can mainly buy gold items, jewelry and themed souvenirs from Florence (postcards, magnets, ceramic plates, key rings, guidebooks).
Unfortunately, getting to that part of the Codidor Vasari, which is located directly above the bridge, in currently is not possible, since it is closed to outsiders. The main reason is the unsatisfactory condition of the structure, which, although not on the verge of destruction, is still not adapted to the tourist load. Perhaps the authorities will take care of this problem and solve the problem with access, because the multi-storey superstructure over the Ponte Vecchio invariably raises questions and stirs the hearts of travelers. Everyone dreams of walking the “dear Medici” from the Vecchio Palace to the Pitti!
Where is it and how to get there
The old bridge of Florence is located between Via Calimala on one side of the river and Via d'Guicciardini- another. Closest to Vecchio Bridge bus stop that’s what it’s called “Ponte Vecchio”. To get there you need to take route C3 or D.
But the easiest way is to walk, Ponte Vecchio is just a few steps away Piazzale degli Uffizi, i.e. from the central one, which rarely gets overlooked in Florence.
Ponte Vecchio on the map of Florence
The Vecchio Bridge (Florence) is located at: Ponte Vecchio, 50125 Firenze FI
Address: Italy, Florence
Start of construction: 1345
Completion of construction: 1345
Width: 32 m
Coordinates: 43°46"05.2"N 11°15"11.7"E
Short description
Almost every city on our planet has its own “calling card” (an ancient landmark, an ultra-modern building, a monument of history, architecture, etc.), which is first shown to all guests.
Bird's eye view of the Ponte Vecchio bridge
There are quite a lot of such “calling cards” in Florence and choosing the main one is extremely difficult. However, many guidebooks to the “flourishing city” say that the Uffizi Gallery will be of greatest interest to all tourists without exception. Cathedral and the Ponte Vecchio bridge. They are depicted on souvenirs, their photos have appeared more than once in the most authoritative and popular travel magazines. To be extremely precise, the story is about the most interesting places Romantic Florence must begin with a description and history of these three attractions. In this material we will talk about the amazing Ponte Vecchio bridge, built in the style of the luxurious Renaissance and included in the list of the most beautiful bridges in the world.
The Ponte Vecchio bridge connects two parts of the city, located on opposite sides of the Arno River. It is located very close to the legendary Uffizi Gallery: from its windows, professional photographers take stunning photographs of the ancient bridge. Despite its “considerable age”, Ponte Vecchio is not a “dead landmark”, but is still functioning. Moreover, from sunrise until late at night it is crowded with tourists, merchants and police officers keeping order on one of the main “calling cards” of Florence.
View of the bridge from the façade of the Uffizi Gallery
Ponte Vecchio: construction of the bridge and its history
Florence Bridge (currently in blooming city there are 10 of them!) in the form in which numerous guests of the “second city after Rome” can now see it, was built back in 1345! The name of the architect, thanks to whom the Ponte Vecchio appeared in Florence, has even survived to this day. The ingenious plan for a beautiful bridge with three massive stone arches, distinguished by its reliability and durability, was developed by Neri di Fiorovanti.
Speaking about the place where the Ponte Vecchio still flaunts, one cannot fail to mention the fact that long before its appearance, at different periods of time, there were three more bridges here! The first bridge, according to historians and archaeologists, was built back in the days when the population of Florence consisted mainly of Roman veterans. Much more is known about the second and third bridges: ancient chronicles say that the second crossing of the Arno River for unknown reasons collapsed in 1117, and the third did not survive the flood that occurred in Florence in 1333 .
View of the bridge from the Arno River embankment
The new bridge was vital for the Florentines, so 12 years later the Ponte Vecchio was built, which has remained unchanged to this day. This durability of the structure is explained by the competent calculations of the architect and the strong building materials that were used in its construction. During World War II, almost all of Florence's bridges were blown up by the fascists retreating in panic. Almost everything... Only the famous Ponte Vecchio survived. Moreover, the magnificent bridge over the Arno owes its preservation to... Adolf Hitler. Even the most terrible tyrant in the entire history of mankind could not destroy the creation of Neri di Fiorovanti, and personally gave the order not to blow up the Ponte Vecchio.
If you look at the bridge from the Uffizi Gallery, from the embankment or from another bridge, you will notice one of its most interesting features: directly above the bridge there is a covered corridor. It was built much later than the appearance of Ponte Vecchio. The plan for this amazing corridor was designed by the architect Vasari. By the way, this passage is called the Vasari Corridor. Its construction began in 1565 by order of the strict and, at the same time, unusually loving Duke Cosimo I, who was part of the legendary Medici dynasty. As we know from ancient documents, Cosimo I had enormous power; it is not surprising that the Vasari corridor, through which he could move from the Vecchio Palace to the Pitti residence, was completed by the builders in just five months.
Why did the strict ruler need a separate corridor? Couldn't he have crossed the Arno on the bridge, accompanied by guards? These questions can be asked by a tourist who does not know the history of Florence very well and its most ancient and most beautiful bridge. The thing is that immediately after the completion of the construction of Ponte Vecchio, butchers set up their shops on it. Best place You just can’t imagine it for brisk trading. Nobody thought about hygiene in the Middle Ages: the stench from rotten meat and waste did not allow the city dweller on the bridge to take a deep breath. Cosimo I, forced to move from one palace to another quite often, did not want to breathe in the stench and ordered the construction of a corridor directly above the Ponte Vecchio. Crowds of people always gathered where meat was sold, so the Duke of Tuscany could also quietly eavesdrop on the speeches of ordinary townspeople. There is even a legend that many people who had the imprudence to give an unflattering assessment of the reign of Cosimo I on the Florentine bridge were subjected to torture and torture the very next day. By the way, meat was sold on Ponte Vecchio only until the 16th century. In a short period of time, butcher shops were converted... into jewelry stores. It was from this period of time that the Florence Bridge also received a second name - golden.
It will be interesting to know that it was on the Florence bridge that such a definition as bankruptcy appeared. Some butchers who offered poor products quickly went out of business and were unable to pay the authorities. rent. Almost the next day after the delay, a small detachment of soldiers came to the unfortunate entrepreneur and destroyed his trading place with sticks. The word “bancorotto”, which translated into Russian means “broken table”, according to linguists, appeared precisely in Florence, and precisely on a bridge built in 1345.
Ponte Vecchio: one of the most interesting sights of modern Florence
There is only a grain of truth in the fact that the Ponte Vecchio bridge has survived to this day in its original form. More precisely, the bridge did not undergo any changes in design, unlike the Vasari Corridor. By order of Mussolini, even before the start of World War II, especially for the arrival of his friend Adolf Hitler, a special building was built in the Vasari corridor in record time. Observation deck with huge rectangular windows. From it, the author of fascist ideology showed Hitler Florence and picturesque river Arno. After the liberation of the city, it was decided to leave this site: in our time, all travelers will be able to personally see the place from which the enthusiastic tyrants looked at the flourishing city.
For security reasons, the Florentine authorities prohibited entry into the Vasari Corridor. True, a walk across the bridge leaves behind a lot of unforgettable impressions. Jewelry is still sold on Ponte Vecchio. Now these are not unusual merchant shops, but ultra-modern boutiques, the goods in which only very rich people can afford. In Florence, every native resident knows that not only the bridge, but also the area of the river near it can be called golden. In 1966, a devastating flood occurred in Florence. Not only the bridge was damaged, but also jewelry shops: sellers did not have time to remove their goods, and many jewelry ended up in the river, and it was not possible to get them all from the silted bottom. Naturally, no one will allow anyone to scuba dive near Ponte Vecchio in search of treasures; everything that Arno took in 1966 will forever remain her “property.”
Walking along the bridge you can see the statue of Benvenuto Cellini and... a huge number of “love locks”. They are attached in various corners of the bridge by young couples who want to perpetuate their love. This tradition, of course, did not originate in Florence. But how could an Italian entrepreneur miss the chance to make good money? At the very end of the bridge there was a store that sold a wide variety of locks. His owner started a rumor that the feeling between a man and a woman would never fade if he attached a lock to the Ponte Vecchio and threw the key to it in the Arno. In a short period of time, the owner of the lock shop became one of the richest people in the city. Stick to new tradition This was decided not only by Florentines, but also by numerous tourists. There was not enough space: old locks were torn down and new ones were hung in their place. As a result, the bridge began to partially collapse. The Florentine authorities reacted to this quite quickly. Now, for a “lock of love” in a flourishing city, you can be fined 50 euros. The problem was only partially solved: for some couples in love this amount is symbolic and quite acceptable.
Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) is the oldest and most famous of the seven bridges in Florence that span the Arno River.
The Ponte Vecchio as we know it today was built in 1345 by the architect Taddeo Gaddi and is an elegant three-arched structure with numerous shops located on the sides of the bridge.
This bridge fascinated me at first sight. No, not even that. I was waiting to see this bridge. Even before my trip to Florence, I knew that this bridge is one of the main attractions of Florence (and this city is very rich in terms of attractions!).
I also knew that there are almost no bridges of this kind preserved in Europe today; I also heard that the famous Bridge of Changes described by Patrick Suskind in the novel Perfumer used to be very similar in appearance to the Ponte Vecchio. It’s just that the Parisian bridge is now completely different (see pictures at the end of the post), but the Florentine bridge has retained its original medieval flavor. This bridge looks especially mesmerizing in a dark Tuscan night with a full moon:
Don’t judge strictly, because the tripod for photography was the following, also a very ancient bridge, with fences very chipped from time to time:
Let's see what Ponte Vecchio looks like at night?
At night all the shops are locked. Moreover, today all this looks exactly like it did many centuries ago:
According to the traditions of the Middle Ages, the bridge was divided into 38 absolutely equal in size sections on which trade was carried out. Traders also lived here. On the second floors, above their shops and warehouses.
Previously, first butchers traded here, then grocers, blacksmiths and other traders. And even later, by order of the ruler Florence Ferdinand I was allowed to trade only in jewelry here. They are still sold today.
But butchers were banned from trading on the bridge for a very interesting reason. This reason is the construction of the Vasari Corridor - a kilometer-long covered gallery passing over bridge Ponte Vecchio. The corridor was built in 1564 according to the design of Giorgio Vasari. It was built in just 5 months, for the wedding of Francesco I de'Medici and Giovanna of Austria. The corridor is a covered passage running high above the ground, almost 1 km long and connecting the Pitti Palace (Palazzo Pitti) , which served as the residence of the Grand Duke, and the Uffizi, or the offices where he worked. You can see in the photo below - under the red-tiled roof, starting on the right, in the Uffizi Gallery, the Vasari corridor, bending at a right angle, goes over the Ponte Vecchio bridge. By the way, Due to the fact that the inhabitants of one of the towers through which the gallery was supposed to pass did not agree to leave their homes, the gallery has a somewhat unusual curved shape.This can be clearly seen in the photo below.
And in this photo you can clearly see: the Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Varzari corridor (photo taken from high point, which is called Piazzale Michelangelo, I will definitely write about this place)
Starting from the western corridor of the Uffizi Gallery (entrance between rooms 25 and 34), the corridor opens to the river, and then along the banks of the Arno River, along the Old Bridge (Ponte Vecchio) to the Pitti Palace. At that time, there was a meat market on the bridge, the unpleasant odors of which could offend the aristocratic nose of the Duke. So the market was moved to another place, and since then (more precisely, since 1593) there have been jewelers' shops on the bridge.
During the day the bridge is bustling with life. Crowds of tourists stare and ask prices at the jewelry displayed in ancient shops.
And the balcony photographed the night before (all in flowers), which seemed like a theater set, in the light of day takes on a completely residential and cozy look:
And the bust of Benvenuto Cellini on the bridge is a traditional hangout for all hippies in Florence.
So, just for reference: Bridge Change (French: Pont au Change) is a bridge in the center of Paris, spanning the Seine River. The bridge got its name because of the many money changers’ shops that were previously located in the houses that built up the bridge until 1788.
It is believed that it was this bridge that Patrick Suskind described in his novel “Perfume”. The Money Changer's Bridge is mentioned in Patrick Suskind's novel Perfume. The story of a murderer" - on the bridge there is the house and shop of the perfumer Baldini. On the same night when the main character of the novel, Grenouille, leaves Baldini's house, the Bridge of Changers collapses along with the sleeping perfumer. At the end of the 18th century, all buildings from the bridge were demolished. The bridge acquired its modern appearance during the Second Empire under Baron Osman.
