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Ponte Vecchio

Shops Built along the Old Bridge

The Ponte Vecchio, also known as the Old Bridge, is the oldest stone bridge over the Arno River in Florence, built in 1345. The Ponte Vecchio has many shops built on the bridge body, mostly gold, silver, and jewelry stores. There is also a Vasari Corridor built above the Ponte Vecchio.

The Ponte Vecchio, also known as the Old Bridge, was built in 1345 by artisans on top of ancient Roman piers across the Arno River in Florence. At the end of World War II, it escaped the sabotage of the German army and became the oldest surviving bridge in Florence.

The Old Bridge has a number of Bridge Houses Used as Stores built on its body, which extrude above the water for more space and rely on the wooden piles at the bottom for reinforcement support. In the 15th century, the shops on the bridge were mostly butchers and fishermen’s stores, and the Medici family, disgusted by the foul smell, ordered the replacement of the shops with Gold, Silver, and Jewelry Shops which are still the same today.

Above the roof of the stores on the east side of the Ponte Vecchio is a Vasari Corridor designed for the Medici family. This sky corridor starts from the Uffizi Gallery on the north bank and leads to the Palazzo Pitti on the south bank, both owned by the Medici family. When the corridor was completed, members of the family no longer had to walk in the crowds when crossing the Ponte Vecchio, which is a true privilege.

Manywhere Trivia:
There is a defensive tower on the south bank of the Old Bridge, just in the way of the Vasari corridor passing through. After unsuccessful communication, the designer had no choice but to make the corridor go around and through. This is the ancient nail in the coffin, right?

Vasari Corridor built around the towers

The small square in the middle of the bridge is the best spot to overlook the Arno River, and it also has a Bust of Sculptor Cellini atop a fountain. You can also see thousands of lover’s locks on the railings of the bridge, but there is now a fine for attaching those locks due to their damage to the bridge.