Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Ponte Vecchio: the “golden” bridge of Florence

A story about a unique Florentine bridge Ponte Vecchio. One of the few remaining fully built bridges. But it is unique for other reasons.

Ponte Vecchio is one of the main calling cards of wonderful Florence. It is located in the very bottleneck of the Arno River and connects the two parts of the legendary Italian city. This bridge is notable for several reasons.

The oldest bridge in Florence

It was built by the architect Neri di Fioravanti in 1345 and to this day the bridge has practically not changed its appearance. Even during the Second World War it survived, although all other bridges were blown up. True, the reasons given are different. Some believe that thanks to the Resistance, while others believe that it is to undermine cultural heritage Adolf Hitler himself banned it by personal decree. By the way, one of the few modernizations of the bridge is associated with the German dictator. Even before the World War, Mussolini specially made an observation deck with large rectangular windows on the inside of the Vasari Corridor for the arrival of the guest of honor. It was decided to leave these windows, and they have survived to this day.

Photo by: Carlo Broggi. The photo was taken before 1925

The Last of the Mohicans

The Ponte Vecchio gives us an idea of ​​what city crossings looked like in late Middle Ages. The fact is that there was not much free space in the city, and in the megacities of that time, bridges were often lined with houses or trading shops. For example, it was completely built up. It contained more than a hundred different kinds of buildings. By the way, if you read the novel “Perfume” or, then it was on the Pont de Change that Baldini’s shop was located, which collapsed into the Seine along with its owner. But at some point, the main bridges in Europe were cleared of buildings, but the Ponte Vecchio survived and has continued to amaze guests of Florence for hundreds of years.

Vasari's secret corridor inside the bridge

Numerous tourists walking along the bridge do not always know that right above their heads lies another path to the other side of the river. We are talking about a secret corridor. It was designed by the architect Vasari, in whose honor the secret passage got its name. Construction began in 1565 on the initiative of Duke Cosimo I, who belonged to the legendary Medici dynasty. The main purpose of the move is to connect the two banks of the river so that the Duke can move from the Vecchio Palace to the Pitti residence unnoticed. Why not just walk across the bridge, you think? There are at least three reasons for this:

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For safety

When we talk about Florence and the Medici, we are a priori talking about the struggle for power. This means that the life of a ruler may depend on the ability to move unnoticed from one building to another.

For comfort

The bridge is a busy place of trade. During Cosimo's time, butchers' shops were located there. Since few people cared about the sanitary situation, the bridge exuded the bone-chilling smells of rotten meat and waste. The presence of a separate corridor made the situation somewhat easier. By the way, butchers were permanent residents of the bridge until the 16th century, after which they were replaced by jewelry stores and the atmosphere became lighter.

For spying

Since there were always a lot of residents hanging around the butcher shops who gave free rein to their tongues, the Duke of Tuscany took advantage of this for banal eavesdropping. According to rumors, the most careless talkers could be imprisoned the very next day.

Home of bankruptcy

There is an interesting story connected with the bridge. There is a legend that this is where the term “bankruptcy” originated. This is due to the fact that when a merchant on the Ponte Vecchio finally went bankrupt, the city guards came and broke (rotto) his counter (banco). This procedure was called “bancorotto”. After a person lost his counter, he could no longer engage in trade. In other words, he was declared bankrupt.

The famous French writer Maurice Druon talks about the spirit of this place:

Ponte Vecchio(Ponte Vecchio, translated from Italian language “old bridge") is one of the symbols of the glorious city of Florence (Italy) and one of the most famous bridges in the world. Spanning across the narrowest point of the Arno River, where there was a ford in ancient times, it is a 95-meter arched stone masterpiece, built back in 1345 and still retaining its original appearance.
In the world Ponte Vecchio is better known as " Golden Bridge", which was assigned to it not at all for its ancient roots and architectural value. The fact is that meat traders used to be active there, which, according to the then ruler, Ferdinand I, not only annoyed those around with an unpleasant odor, but also had a negative impact on its prestige. Soon the Duke ordered the butchers' shops to be replaced by jewelry stores and workshops. And so, starting in 1593, jewelers' shops began to appear along the bridge, who received the exclusive right to sell their creations here. As for jewelry workshops, only one has survived to this day , owned by the Peccini family.From then until today, the Golden Bridge has concentrated in itself greatest number yellow gold jewelry throughout Florence. Platinum, white gold and gems are also very popular among tourists. There are always quite a lot of potential buyers there, however, many of them remain potential, since not everyone can afford the prices for local jewelry.

The oldest bridge in Florence was built on the site of two previous bridges. The first was built in the ancient Roman era, and, according to the testimony of imperial historians, stood on stone pylons and was covered with wooden flooring. It bravely survived the fall of Rome and stood until the flood that hit it in 1117. The second, already built of stone, was again subjected to the destructive force of water overflowing the banks of the Arno in 1333.
The Old Bridge acquired its modern appearance in 1345, when the architect Neri di Fioravanti connected the banks of the river with a stone structure, which is a beautiful and at the same time durable three-arched structure. On both sides of the bridge, according to the traditions of the Middle Ages, residential buildings were built. Over the centuries of its existence, the straight line of buildings was broken as a result of some transformations.
In 1444, in order to free the streets from the stench emanating from the butchers' shops scattered throughout the city, they were ordered to move to shops located on the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Numerous shops made it, despite its modest size, truly medieval. shopping center. But after more than a hundred years, as we know, jewelers took their place.

In 1565, by order of Duke Cosimo I, the architect Giorgio Vasari built a kilometer-long corridor above the buildings located on the bridge, called the Vasari Corridor. With its help, the ruler could move from administrative center Palazzo Vecchio (Town Hall of Florence) to the Medici's private residence, Palazzo Pitti. Another positive aspect associated with the presence of a corridor was the ability to monitor the situation in the city using small windows, while remaining completely unnoticed. IN currently it is closed to the public, and the only key to it is kept by a man named Roberto Zanieri. The lucky ones will be able to get into this mysterious place, will be able to see there the world's largest collection of self-portraits, which is located along the entire length of the walls of the Vasari corridor.

In 1938, during the reign of Mussolini, Ponte Vecchio was visited by Adolf Hitler, especially for whose arrival a building was created in the central part of the Vasari Corridor Observation deck with large panoramic windows that have survived to this day. After the retreat of the fascist troops, it was the only bridge in Florence that was not destroyed by the Germans during hostilities in 1944.

Most beautiful bridge Florence has experienced many disasters over the centuries of its existence. In November 1966, a terrible flood hit the Ponte Vecchio, but it was able to withstand even when the water came to the windows and penetrated inside, breaking shop windows with crushing force and carrying them downstream.
In the center of the Old Bridge, the rows of buildings are interrupted by two terraces, from which it is very convenient to admire the view of the Arno River and neighboring bridges. The eastern platform is crowned by the Vasari Corridor, and the opposite one is famous for the bust of Benvenuto Cellini, the most famous Florentine jeweler, whose memory is deeply revered in the professional community, installed on it. Created by sculptor Rafael Romanelli, the monument was erected in memory of the services of the jeweler on May 26, 1901.
The graceful Florentine Ponte Vecchio bridge, with its charming arches and open area framed by a row of houses, can be seen in the famous film “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” (2006).

It’s not possible to get to Florence by direct flight from Moscow, so to see the Golden Bridge and other attractions of the city, you need to look for tickets to big cities northern Italy (for example Milan or Rome), and from there you can go to Florence by bus or train. You can also get to Florence by train from Pisa, where there are direct flights from Russia.

Bridge in Florence Ponte Vecchio (translated as the old bridge), built in 1345 across the Arno River, located at the narrowest point of the river, almost opposite the Uffizi Gallery. The Ponte Vecchio bridge, built by the architect Neri di Fioravanti and having a length of 30 m, is now one of the most famous bridges in the world. This is the oldest bridge in Florence, which has also retained its original appearance and has not undergone reconstruction like other bridges.
At first, there were butcher shops on the Ponte Vecchio bridge, but Lorenzo Medici, who hated the smell of meat, replaced them with jewelry workshops. Since the 16th century, jewelers' shops and shops have been built on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Since then, the bridge has earned itself another, unofficial name - “Golden Bridge”. Only the only jewelry workshop and store of the Peccini family has survived to this day. There is also a bust of Benvenuto Cellini on the bridge.
This thirty-meter bridge in Florence managed to survive both the floods and the bombings of 1944. November 4, 1966 it was almost destroyed during a major flood, but, nevertheless, managed to survive even when the water rose to the level of the windows and began to penetrate inside, washing away everything and taking away entire display cases. Now the Ponte Vecchio is a symbol of Florence.
The famous Golden Bridge in Florence also has its own secret - right above the shops built on it there runs a long kilometer-long corridor, built in the 16th century by order of Cosimo I de' Medici. This corridor is called Vasari, it is closed to the public and the keys to it are now kept by only one person - Roberto Zanieri. If you walk along the corridor, along its entire length on the walls you can see a huge collection of self-portraits, the largest in the world.

Why did the ruler need the Vasari corridor? Through it, the Medici could easily access their Palazzo Pitti palace directly from the Palazzo Vecchio through the Uffizi Gallery without an escort via the Florentine bridge. A similar passage through which King Priam got from his palace to the palaces of his sons was described in the Iliad. Perhaps it was the reading of the Iliad that inspired Cosimo de' Medici to build the Vasari Corridor, which runs over the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence. Another advantage of Vasari was that he allowed the ruler to observe what was happening in the city through small windows, while remaining unnoticed by the townspeople. In other words, to see while remaining invisible.
Currently, Florence has ten bridges. Before 1957 there were only six of them, and over the course of a number of centuries they were rebuilt several times. All bridges, with the exception of the Ponte Vecchio, were reconstructed after World War II. However, before the Second World War, during the reign of Mussolini, especially for the arrival of Hitler, an observation deck with large rectangular windows was made from the inside of the Vasari Corridor in the central part, which have survived to this day.

The Ponte Vecchio Bridge is a stone crossing over the Arno that is completely different from an ordinary bridge. The building is so old that it even dates back to ancient Roman times. Then, of course, it was a wooden crossing, which did not prevent it from remaining the most important element of the social life of Florence.
The history of Ponte Vecchio is long and turbulent. The bridge was repeatedly washed away by floods that often occurred in the city, was rebuilt, and was destroyed again and again. In the 15th century, this area became the most fragrant in Florence, because it was here that numerous butcher shops were moved away from noble mansions. In those years, trading veal and chicken brains was allowed only on the Old Bridge. All waste from the meat business was thrown into the river, which carried it far beyond the city.
There were many butchers in the city, the bridge was not very long, so its growth began to spread. The merchants built their shops in such a way that they protruded above the bridge, hanging almost above the water. This is how we see Ponte Vecchio bridge and today. But the shops here now sell expensive and very expensive jewelry. Even the simplest ring here costs at least 200 euros.
The Ponte Vecchio bridge was built at the narrowest point of the Arno River. Almost opposite it are the Uffizi Galleries. This is one of the oldest bridges in the Tuscan capital, the only one that was able to preserve almost its original appearance. In its place, however, there were other structures: a bridge from the ancient Roman era that collapsed in 1117, as well as a bridge destroyed by a flood in 1333.
Modern building first appeared in 1345. Then it was built by the architect Neri di Fioravanti. The design was durable, but at the same time very elegant. At that time the bridge consisted of three arches. A distinctive feature of Ponte Vecchio is the houses that are crowded on both sides. Over time, the straight line of the 14th century buildings was disrupted by various transformations. In the center of the bridge span, a row of buildings is interrupted, turning into an open area, which offers views of the river and other bridges in the city.
Above the buildings is the Vasari Corridor. It was created by the architect so that Cosimo I would pass from Palazzo Vecchio in Palazzo Pitti, without feeling the strong stench of the butchers' shops. Along the corridor there are small round windows, from which the ruler overheard what was being said simple people On Bridge. This is what the legend says. Jewelry shops and workshops appeared on the site of the shops in the 16th century. Since then, the Ponte Vecchio bridge has also been called the “Golden Bridge”. There is also a bust of Benvenuto Cellini. “Love locks” are chained to him.

History of the Ponte Vecchio

The first bridge at the narrowest point of the Arno River, in the area of ​​the ford, was built under the Romans, approximately in the 1st century BC. e. Work on the river bed shortly after World War II revealed a concrete foundation laid at an angle to the banks so that the bridge could withstand frequent destructive floods. Until 123, the width of the bridge increased to 3 m, because the Cassian road was built through it, intended for communication between Rome and the northern provinces. Imperfect Roman architectural tricks did not save the bridge: in the VI-VII centuries. it was destroyed by the combined efforts of the elements and crowds of barbarians who swept across Italy. In the Middle Ages, the restored bridge was swept away by floods at least twice. The penultimate version was built in 1177 on oak beams left over from its predecessor. The flood of 1333, the most violent in the history of the Arno, destroyed it too.

In 1345, the city authorities got tired of paying for regular reconstructions, and they ordered the architect to design a stone bridge. Giorgio Vasari, artist and art historian, claims that this master was Taddeo Gaddi, modern researchers doubt this and attribute the authorship to Neri di Fioravanti. New anyway a stone bridge, after some time receiving the name Vecchio, that is, “old,” quickly became a lively trading place. For sanitary reasons beyond our understanding, butchers' shops were moved here so that they would not leave waste on the street near the palaces of the nobility, but would throw it into the river. Soon the merchants found that there were not enough portable tables, and the sides of the bridge were overgrown with buildings mounted above the water on brackets. This did not add to his beauty, but there was no end to visitors.