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Florence and its territory
Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio is the oldest and most famous bridge in the city and is presumed to have been built by the Etruscans already at the time of the Roman colony.
Proprio dove un tempo si prendeva l'antico traghetto per attraversare l'Arno, nel suo punto più stretto, venne costruito per la prima volta, in legno su pile di pietra, il Ponte Vecchio.
A causa di numerose inondazioni, il ponte venne più volte distrutto e ricostruito nel 1117 e nel 1333, fino a che Neri di Fioravanti e Taddeo Gaddi lo rifecero in pietra. Grazie alla sua larghezza, ai lati del ponte vi sono due portici ad arcata sotto i quali sorsero subito 43 botteghe: inizialmente erano negozi di macelleria e verdura.
At a later time, on the orders of Grand Duke Ferdinand I, the mostly food shops were transformed into goldsmiths and jewellers, to give greater prestige to the bridge: it was the end of the 16th century. Then, around the 17th century, the back shops were added and thanks to the proceeds obtained from the rental of the shops, the reconstruction of the bridge could begin.
Ponte Vecchio was spared from the German mines, which blew up all the nearby neighborhoods with the aim of blocking access to the city, while the flood that you will all remember was devastating for the shops and for the whole the neighboring area.
Even today, Ponte Vecchio remains the symbol of the city of Florence and, although the only objective was initially to cross the river, it soon took the form of a street, a market, a a square.
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