Ponte Vecchio is a famous landmark in Florence. It is a beautiful romantic bridge. It is especially magical in the evening when street artists perform and the many courting couples and tourists enjoy a gelato while taking in the ambience.
The Ponte Vecchio spans the narrowest point of the river Arno as it runs through Florence. The present bridge, built in 1345 according to a design by Taddeo Gaddi, was constructed to replace the one destroyed by floods in 1333.
The small shops on the bridge were originally housed by butchers and tanners. The tanners would cure the hides of hogs with horse urine, with the urine making it way into the Arno, along with the blood and guts of butchered animals. The stench was so great that in 1593 the Grand Duke Ferdinando I issued a decree allowing only the more elegant jewellers and goldsmiths to conduct trade on the bridge.
The bridge is still the home of goldsmiths and jewellers, and during the day it swarms with customers looking for high-quality gold jewellery.
A bust of the Florentine goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini stands half way across the bridge, off to the side in a tiny piazza overlooking the Arno. There are no shops here, and the space opens up offering views of the city.
The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge in Florence to survive the fleeing Nazis in August 1944. They had orders to destroy all the bridges in Florence. It seems they did not have the heart to destroy such a beautiful and ancient bridge, so instead blew up the ancient buildings on both sides, using the rubble to stop the allies from easily gaining access.
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