Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Built very close to the Roman crossing, the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) was until 1218 the only bridge across the Arno in Florence. The current bridge was rebuilt after a flood in 1345. During World War II it was the only bridge across the Arno that the fleeing Germans did not destroy. Instead they blocked access by demolishing the medieval buildings on each side. On November 4, 1966, the bridge miraculously withstood the tremendous weight of water and silt when the Arno once again burst its banks.

The stores on the bridge are really cute--overwhelmingly expensive, but really adorable. There have been stores on the Ponte Vecchio since the 13th century. Initially, there were all types of shops, including butchers and fishmongers and later tanners, whose industrial waste caused a pretty rank stench. In 1593 the grand duke Ferdinand I de’ Medici decided that this was too smelly. The problem was that the famous Corridoio Vasariano. It was built in 1565, when the Medici overthrew the competing Pitti family for financial control of Florence, and moved from Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti. They decided they needed a connecting route from the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti on the other side of the Arno that would enable them to keep out of contact with the people they ruled. The resulting corridor, high above the bustling masses on the street, links the Palazzo Vecchio to the Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace – a handy escape route for the family, which passes over the tops of the then-butcher-shops: if you look at the top level of the bridge you can see an even row of square windows lined with pietra serena (grey stone). In order to not pass above odors of mature prosciutto and rotting greens, the Duke decided that the new occupants should be goldsmiths – more appropriate to the luxury of the ruling family, and jewelers is what remains today, as well. Cellini, a 16th century goldsmith, is honored with a bust on the bridge.