Top 10 Facts about the Ponte Vecchio in Florence

By I, Sailko, – Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about the Ponte Vecchio in Florence

Ponte Vecchio is an old-fashioned stone arch bridge that crosses over the Arno River in Florence, Italy.

The bridge is a closed-spandrel segment with shops built along with it. These shops are occupied by jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers.

Ponte Santa Trinita and the Ponte alle Grazie are two other bridges close to Ponte Vecchio. Ponte Vecchio is the oldest of them all hence its name.

It has been standing on this same spot since the times of the Ancient Romans. There have been a series of floods that damaged the bridge.

Several renovations later, the old wooden bridge was replaced with this stone one that was spared during WWII. It is now a famous landmark in Florence.

Here are some facts about Ponte Vecchio that you may not have known.

1. The original Ponte Vecchio was made of wood and stones

The first bridge over the Arno was built by the Romans who used woods and stones.

That bridge was, however, weak and could not withstand the frequent floods that hit the area.

It led to the construction of a better much stronger bridge that was designed in 1345. The architect was Taddeo Gaddi.

He used lower wider arches that ensured the use of fewer pillars. This allowed the floodwaters and its debris to flow freely underneath.

A much disastrous flood almost damaged the bridge completely. This bridge also survived WWII by a whisker, I will tell you how shortly.

2. Adolf Hitler loved the view from Ponte Vecchio

By Martin Falbisoner – Wikimedia

It is said that Adolf Hitler loved the view from the bridge that he ordered it be spared while others were being destroyed.

Benito Mussolini built a corridor on the bridge to stay away from the stench that cane from the meat market.

He also wanted his guest, Adolf Hitler, to enjoy the view of Florence from the corridor.

Mussolini ordered that three windows removed and, in their place, a large window was built.

Hitler was impressed with the view such that in 1944, during WWII, when the German forces were destroying all the bridges, they did not touch Ponte Vecchio.

3. Butchers used to own shops on Ponte Vecchio

The bridge has been used by trades since the late 16th century. These shops have for the longest time sold gold, silver and other jewellery.

Before the fancy chops came to be, butchers used to sell meat on the bridge. they would clean and prepare the meat while throwing the waste into the river.

This left an awful smell to those that passed by. It made the Medici family build the corridor on the second level of the bridge but that did not keep the stench away.

To improve the status and clean up the bridge, Medici banned the butchers from operating on the bridge in 1593.

He then allowed those trading in gold, silver and other jewellery to set shop.

4. Love locks are not allowed on Ponte Vecchio

By Thermos – Wikimedia

One of the famous sculptors of the 1900s, Benvenuto Cellini, has his bust erected on this bridge.

The bronze bust was made by a fellow sculptor Raffaello Romanelli. He placed the bust on top of a fountain in the middle of the eastern side of the bridge.

The railing around the bust attracted lovers who locked padlocks and threw the key to the river.

They became too many and made the bust and railing unpleasant, that the city council removed them. A total of 5000 love locks were removed and destroyed.

There is now a fine for attaching love locks to the bridge.

5. Ponte Vecchio was built as fortress

This bridge was designed partly as a defensive structure.

During ancient times in Italy, rivers were used to launch attacks.

Even though Florence was surrounded by walls, the attackers would use boats along river Arno.

They, therefore, built four towers, two on each side, and walls with ramparts around their territory. The wall only broke in areas set for observation.

There are three other medieval bridges in Florence that were not strategic and were therefore not fortified.

A fine was given to shopkeepers that broke the exterior walls facing the river.

6. The shops on the bridge give revenue to the government

A lot was spent on the construction of Ponte Vecchio that the government needed a return of investment.

They, therefore, built shops on the bridge and rented them to the locals.

There are 46 shops built out of stone, the previous shops were built of wood and caught fire quite often.

The first tenants were butchers who were banned after the cleanliness of the bridge deteriorated.

Soon the government sold the shops, which led to the restructuring of the bridge.

7. Ponte Vecchio is on the narrowest point of River Arno

By Yair Haklai – Wikimedia

This bridge spans one of the most famous rivers in Central Italy, the Arno.

It is the second-most-important river in the region after the Tiber which passes through Rome.

The bridge crosses the Arno River at its narrowest point. This made it a very suitable location for the Romans to build a bridge.

It was also a link to the major Roman roads, like the Via Cassia. This road connected the city of Rome to the city of Genua in Northern Italy and crossed the river at this point.

8. The concept of bankruptcy originated from Ponte Vecchio

Ancient tales believe that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated from this bridge.

When someone borrowed money and could not pay his debt, the table he used to sell his good would be broken by soldiers.

The practice was known as Banca rotta meaning broken bank, without the table there was no more business for the trader.

9. Vasari corridor was built for protection

By I, Sailko, – Wikimedia

When Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany moved into the palace in the southern part of the river, he had to walk among the masses.

He feared that he would get assassinated by his enemies and ordered a corridor to be built separately away from the people.

The corridor was built on the second level of the bridge and was completed in five months.

It linked his home to his office and stretches for a kilometre.

10. Ponte Vecchio has a museum

By Diomidis Spinellis – Wikimedia

The corridor that was once used by Medici has now been turned into a museum.

Popularly known as the Vasari Corridor, the museum gives a different atmosphere compared to the rest of the gallery.

The works displayed in there were curated by a former director of Uffizi Gallery.

Most of the artwork is from the 16^th and 17^th centuries. They are a collection of unique self-portraits by artists like Andrea del Sarto and Chagall.

The windows give the best aerial views of the hills, palaces and churches of the city.