Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). Ponte vecchio - old bridge in florence
Each city has its own building, which is its symbol, associated with the city. Along with the Cathedral of Florence, the old renaissance bridge called Ponte Vecchio is the most striking place in the city.
The most famous bridge in Florence, as well as the oldest of the city's bridges. Ponte Vecchio- a structure with three stone arches, built to replace the old wooden bridge that crossed the Arno River in this place since Roman times. The upper side of the bridge, known as the Vasariano Corridor, was designed by the architect Vasari to link the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery with the Pitti Palace. Today it houses a famous art gallery. 
This bridge is built up and inhabited by people. Initially there were grocery stores, but by the end of the 15th century Ponte Vecchio was chosen by jewelers and silversmiths. Located in the middle of the bridge open area from where you can watch the river and its banks 
It is said that this is where the economic concept of bankruptcy came from: when a seller could no longer pay his debts, soldiers would come and smash (rotto) his trading shop (banco). This practice became known as “bancorotto” (broken table). Since the merchant no longer had a table, he was unable to sell anything else. 
During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by the Germans during their retreat on August 4, 1944, unlike all other bridges in Florence. Hitler's special order was given to leave the bridge intact. Access to it was, however, hampered by ruined buildings on both sides of the river. Later, all buildings were rebuilt, some of them original projects, and part of the new 
Along the Ponte Vecchio, there have always been many locks attached to various places, especially on the railings around the statue of Benvenuto Celini. This tradition has recently appeared in Florence, although it has existed in Russia and Asia for a long time (for example, the bridge of love in Moscow). The owner of the lock shop at the end of the bridge contributed to this. Lovers hang locks: closing the lock and throwing the key into the river, which symbolizes eternal love. This is a good example of the negative impact of mass tourism: thousands of castles were periodically removed, spoiling or damaging the structure of the century-old bridge. Over time, they stopped doing this, after the city government placed a sign on the bridge, mentioning a fine of 50? for one lock of love. It turned out that those who want to seal their love for 50? significantly less 
Ponte Vecchio (Ponte Vecchio, old bridge) is the oldest and most famous of the seven bridges in Florence that span the Arno River.
Ponte Vecchio, as we know it now, was built in 1345 by the architect Taddeo Gaddi and is an elegant three-arch structure with numerous shops located on the sides of the bridge.
This bridge fascinated me at first sight. No, not even that. I was looking forward to meeting this bridge. Even before the trip to Florence, I knew that this bridge is one of the main attractions of Florence (and this city is very rich in terms of attractions!).
And I also knew that almost no bridges of this kind have been preserved in Europe today, I also heard that the famous Bridge described by Patrick Suskind in the novel The Perfumer used to be very similar in appearance to Ponte Vecchio. But the Parisian bridge changed now is not the same at all (see the pictures at the end of the post), but the Florentine bridge has retained its original medieval flavor. This bridge looks especially bewitching in a dark Tuscan night with a full moon:
do not judge strictly, because the following, also a very ancient bridge, with fences very chipped from time, served as a tripod for shooting:
Let's see what Ponte Vecchio looks like at night?
All shops are closed at night. Moreover, even today it all looks exactly like many centuries ago:
According to the traditions of the Middle Ages, the bridge was divided into 38 sections of absolutely equal size, where trade was conducted. Traders also lived here. On the second floors, above their shops and warehouses.
Previously, first butchers traded here, then grocers, blacksmiths and other merchants. And even later, by order of the ruler Florence Ferdinand I was allowed to trade only jewelry here. They are still being traded.
And the butchers were banned from trading on the bridge for a very interesting reason. The reason for this is the construction of the Vasari Corridor - a kilometer-long covered gallery passing over the Ponte Vecchio bridge. The corridor was built in 1564 according to the design of Giorgio Vasari (Giorgio Vasari). It was built in just 5 months, for the wedding of Francesco I de' Medici and Giovanna of Austria. The corridor is a covered passage that goes high above the ground, almost 1 km long and connects the Pitti Palace (Palazzo Pitti) , which served as the residence of the Grand Duke, and the Uffizi (Uffizi), or offices where he worked.See in the photo below - under the red-tiled roof, starting on the right, in the Uffizi Gallery, the Vasari corridor, curving at a right angle, goes over the Ponte Vecchio bridge.By the way, Due to the fact that the inhabitants of one of the towers through which the gallery was supposed to pass did not agree to leave their familiar place, the gallery has a somewhat unusual curved shape, which can be clearly seen in the photo below.
And in this photo you can clearly see: the Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Varzari corridor (photo taken from high point, which is called Piazzale Michelangelo, I will certainly write about this place)
Starting from the western corridor of the Uffizi Gallery (entrance between rooms 25 and 34), the corridor goes to the river, and then along the banks of the Arno River, along the Old Bridge (Ponte Vecchio) to the Pitti Palace. At that time, there was a meat market on the bridge, the unpleasant smells of which could offend the duke's aristocratic nose. So the market was moved to another place, and since then (more precisely, since 1593) there have been jewelers' shops on the bridge.
During the day, the bridge is bustling with life. Crowds of tourists stare and ask the price of the jewels displayed in the ancient shops.
And the balcony photographed the night before (all in flowers), which seemed like a theatrical scenery, in the light of the day takes on a completely residential and cozy look:
And the bust of Benvenuto Cellini on the bridge is a traditional hangout for all the hippies in Florence.
So, purely for reference: the Changer Bridge (fr. Pont au Change) is a bridge in the center of Paris, thrown over the Seine River. The bridge got its name because of the many shops of money changers, previously located in the houses with which the bridge was built up until 1788.
It is believed that Patrick Suskind described this bridge in his novel Perfumer. The Changer Bridge is mentioned in Patrick Suskind's novel Perfumer. The story of a murderer ”- on the bridge is the house and shop of the perfumer Baldini. On the same night when main character In the novel, Grenouille leaves Baldini's house, the Changer Bridge collapses along with the sleeping perfumer. At the end of the 18th century, all buildings were demolished from the bridge. The Bridge Changed acquired its modern appearance during the Second Empire under Baron Osman.
Address: Italy, Florence
Start of construction: 1345
Completion of construction: 1345
Width: 32 m
Coordinates: 43°46"05.2"N 11°15"11.7"E
Almost every city on our planet has its own “visiting card” (an ancient landmark, an ultra-modern building, a monument of history, architecture, etc.), which is shown to all guests first of all.
Ponte Vecchio bridge from a bird's eye view
In Florence such business cards There are quite a few and it is extremely difficult to choose the main one. However, many guides to the "blooming city" say that the greatest interest all tourists without exception will be called by the Uffizi Gallery, the Cathedral and the Ponte Vecchio bridge. They are depicted on souvenirs, their photos have repeatedly appeared in the most authoritative and popular travel magazines. To be extremely precise, the story of the most interesting places romantic Florence must begin with a description and history of these three attractions. In this material we will talk about amazing bridge Ponte Vecchio, built in the style of a luxurious Renaissance and included in the list of the most beautiful bridges in the world.
The Ponte Vecchio Bridge connects two parts of the city, located on opposite sides of the Arno River.. It is located very close to the legendary Uffizi Gallery: professional photographers take amazing pictures from its windows ancient bridge. Despite its "respectable age", Ponte Vecchio is not a "dead landmark", but is still functioning. Moreover, from sunrise until late at night, it is crowded with tourists, merchants and police officers who keep order on one of the main "visiting cards" of Florence.
View of the bridge from the facade of the Uffizi Gallery
Ponte Vecchio: the construction of the bridge and its history
Florence Bridge (currently in flourishing city there are 10 of them!) in the form in which numerous guests of the "second city after Rome" can now see it, was built back in 1345! Even the name of the architect, thanks to which the Ponte Vecchio appeared in Florence, has survived to this day. The ingenious plan of the most beautiful bridge with three massive stone arches, distinguished by reliability and durability, was developed by Neri di Fiorovanti.
Speaking about the place where the Ponte Vecchio flaunts even now, one cannot but mention the fact that long before its appearance, at different intervals there were three more bridges! The first bridge, according to the assumption of historians and archaeologists, was built back in those days when the population of Florence consisted mainly of veterans of Rome. Much more is known about the second and third bridges: ancient chronicles say that the second crossing over the Arno River collapsed for unknown reasons in 1117, and the third did not resist the flood that occurred in Florence in 1333 .
View of the bridge from the embankment of the Arno river
The new bridge was vital for the Florentines, so already 12 years later the Ponte Vecchio was built, which has been preserved unchanged to this day. Such durability of the building is explained by the competent calculations of the architect and strong building materials that were used in its construction. During the Second World War, almost all the bridges in Florence were blown up by the retreating Nazis. Almost everything ... Only survived the famous Ponte Vecchio. Moreover, the magnificent bridge over the Arno owes its safety to .... Adolf Hitler. Even the most terrible tyrant in the entire history of mankind could not destroy the creation of Neri di Fiorovanti, and personally gave the order not to blow up the Ponte Vecchio.
If you look at the bridge from the Uffizi Gallery, from the embankment or from another bridge, you can notice one of its most interesting features: there is a covered corridor directly above the bridge. It was built much later than the Ponte Vecchio. The plan of this amazing corridor was designed by the architect Vasari. By the way, this passage is called the Vasari Corridor. Its construction began in 1565 on the orders of the strict and, at the same time, unusually loving Duke Cosimo I, who was part of the legendary Medici dynasty. As is known from ancient documents, Cosimo I had great power, it is not surprising that the Vasari corridor, along which he could cross from Palace Vecchio to the Pitti residence, the builders finished in just five months.
Why did a strict ruler need a separate corridor? Couldn't he have crossed the Arno over the bridge, accompanied by guards? These questions can be asked by a tourist who does not know the history of Florence and its most ancient, and most beautiful bridge. The thing is that immediately after the completion of the construction of Ponte Vecchio, butchers set up their shops on it. Best place for a brisk trade you simply can’t imagine. Nobody thought about hygiene in the Middle Ages: the stench of rotten meat and waste prevented the city dweller from breathing air on the bridge full chest. Cosimo I, forced to move quite often from one palace to another, did not want to breathe in the stench and ordered the construction of a corridor right above the Ponte Vecchio. Where meat was sold, crowds of people always gathered, so the Duke of Tuscany could also quietly eavesdrop on the speeches of ordinary citizens. There is even a legend that many people who had the imprudence to give an unflattering assessment of the reign of Cosimo I on the Florentine bridge were tortured and tortured the very next day. By the way, meat was sold on Ponte Vecchio only until the 16th century. The butcher shops were converted in a short period of time ... into jewelry stores. It was from this period of time that the bridge of Florence also received a second name - golden.
It will be interesting to know that it was on the Florentine bridge that such a definition as bankruptcy appeared. Some butchers who offered bad goods quickly went bankrupt and were unable to pay the authorities. rent. Almost the next day after the delay, a small detachment of soldiers came to the unfortunate entrepreneur and smashed his trading place with sticks. The word "bancorotto", which in translation into Russian means "broken table", according to linguists, appeared in Florence, and it was on the bridge built in 1345.
Ponte Vecchio Bridge: one of the most interesting sights of modern Florence
There is only a grain of truth in the fact that the Ponte Vecchio bridge has survived to this day in its original form. More precisely, the bridge did not undergo any structural changes, unlike the Vasari corridor. By order of Mussolini, even before the start of the Second World War, especially for the arrival of his friend Adolf Hitler, a special Observation deck with huge rectangular windows. From it, the author of the fascist ideology showed Hitler Florence and the picturesque Arno River. After the liberation of the city, it was decided to leave this site: in our time, all travelers will be able to personally see the place from which enthusiastic tyrants looked at the flourishing city.
For security reasons, the Florentine authorities have banned entry into the Vasari Corridor. True, a walk along the bridge leaves behind a lot of unforgettable impressions. Ponte Vecchio still sells jewelry. Now these are unusual shops of merchants, but ultra-modern boutiques, the goods in which only very rich people can afford. In Florence, every indigenous person knows that not only the bridge can be called golden, but also the territory of the river near it. In 1966, there was a devastating flood in Florence. Not only the bridge was damaged, but also jewelry shops: the sellers did not have time to take out their goods, and many jewelry ended up in the river, and it was not possible to get them all from the silted bottom. Naturally, no one will allow scuba diving near the Ponte Vecchio in search of treasures, everything that Arno took in 1966 will forever remain in her “property”.
Arno - river central Italy. It originates on the southern slope of Mount Falterona of the Tuscany chain of the Apennine Range at an altitude of 1385 meters above sea level. Its length is 241 km and it flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea near Pisa. Florence was founded by the Romans west bank Arno and the first bridge was built in the 1st century. BC e. The river gave life and destroyed it. The last catastrophic flood occurred on November 4, 1966, when the water rose to the middle of the second floors.
Now there are 9 bridges in the city area, the king of which is the Old Bridge (ponte Vecchio). It is likely that the ancient Roman road of Cassia passed through this place, along which the first Christians came to the city. Now the bridge is the emblem of the city on a par with the dome cathedral. Over the centuries it has become real independent world. From time immemorial, in the shops on it they traded meat and fish (conveniently throwing waste into the river). But in 1565, a covered corridor was built over the bridge to move Duke Cosimo de' Medici from the Old Palace to new possessions on the opposite bank. Of course, the butchers were overpowered by new market(where today there is a bronze boar), and jewelers settled in their place. This is the only bridge not blown up by the retreating German fascists in 1944.
But the Old Bridge is not the only one filled with secrets and memories. No less interesting are its neighbors: in the north the bridge alle Grazie (Forgiveness) and in the south the bridge of Santa Trinita (Holy Trinity). The bridge alle Grazie was formerly called Rubiconte, after the medieval head of the Florentine government, who personally laid the first stone in 1237. Already since 1320, on each of the pylons of the bridge, small wooden houses without doors and windows were erected on both sides, in which the Florentine hermit nuns Murate (i.e. immured) settled. And one day, on one of the pylons, a miraculous image of the Mother of God appeared, then called “granting forgiveness” - grazie.
The Bridge of the Holy Trinity was founded a couple of decades after the bridge alle Grazie. And often fell not only from floods, but also from the severity of the crowd during the frequent fun holidays held on the river. One such crash occurred in 1557. After that, Duke Cosimo Medici commissioned the architect Bartalameo Ammanati to create the bridge that we can see today. Michelangelo participated in the creation of an elegant drawing. Exquisite medallions in the form of the head of an Aries adorn the bridge, two on each side, not by chance. Aries - the beginning of the zodiac circle - a symbol of birth and knowledge.
And when you climb observation deck in the evening, you are enchanted by the splendor of the Arno and the illumination of the bridges.
click on photo
The houses of the nuns on the bridge alla Grazie
Florence has experienced many events in its lifetime. One of the "witnesses" of its history is the Ponte Vecchio bridge (Italian Ponte Vecchio, or the Old Bridge). This is the oldest bridge in Florence. Once upon a time, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Niccolo Machiavelli and other famous Florentines peacefully walked along it. Once, standing in the Vasari corridor, Cosimo I de Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, overheard what the people thought of him. At first, meat was traded here, and then gold merchants came here. The bridge stands in the same place for almost the 17th century, and people still trade here, sing songs, and travelers gather here. Ponte Vecchio is living history Florence.
History of the bridge
This bridge is located in one of the narrowest places of the Arno River. During Roman times, it was part of the Cassian Way, which connected Rome and Tuscany. Then he was very far from his modern look- This was wooden bridge on stone piles. Subsequently, it suffered from a flood and was rebuilt, but from stone. This gave the bridge the opportunity to hold out for another 200 years, until another flood, in 1333, demolished it.
But after 12 years on this site built new bridge, whose appearance has been preserved to this day. The city has grown significantly during this time, so the architect Neri di Fiorovanti decided that the bridge could no longer serve as a full-fledged crossing. Since then, merchants' shops, workshops, forges have appeared here. Towers were erected to protect the bridge, the most famous of which is the Mannelli Tower. By the 15th century, Ponte Vecchio had become the center of the meat trade. The authorities of the then Florentine Republic decided to rid the city of the stench and concentrate all the butchers in one place. This place became the Old Bridge.
Then the bridge grew with another building. Above the buildings located on the bridge, a corridor-gallery was laid, which is completely isolated from them. This building is part of a special project that was created to connect two Florentine castles: Palazzo Pitti and Palazzo Vecchio. Through them, the ruler calmly moved from his residential residence to the worker, while he had the opportunity to peep and overhear what the people were talking about. This corridor got its name from the name of the designer - the Vasari corridor. Somewhat later, in the 16th century, butchers were replaced by jewelers. At the same time, another name was assigned to it - "Golden Bridge".
In the 20th century, the bridge remained true to its purpose. At the end of World War II, during the retreat of the Germans from Italy, all the bridges in Florence were blown up, but the Old Bridge remained intact: either thanks to the partisans from the Resistance, or thanks to Hitler’s personal decree. In 1966, the Arno River flooded again, the bridge was not destroyed, but was badly damaged. Now the bridge is recognized architectural monument It is a must visit place for tourists.
Design features and functions of the bridge
Ponte Vecchio is a typical segment arch bridge. They were built during the era of the Roman Empire, several similar bridges can be found in different areas Italy and beyond. It stands at a height of 3.5-4 meters above the water, which is typical for such bridges. The bridge is quite wide - 30 meters. On its sides are crowded shops of jewelers and various shops. Previously, they went in a straight line, but after some changes, it was broken. In the area of the central arch, the chain of buildings is interrupted: there is a platform from which you can see the bed of the Arno River, the embankment, neighboring bridges and buildings adjacent to the banks. The length of the central arch is 32 meters, the other two are 27 meters.
Just above the bridge, a section of the corridor is equipped with panoramic windows from which you can observe the surroundings on both sides of the bridge. Other sections of the corridor serve as a gallery. There are paintings by local artists from different times. The gallery's collection contains about 1.4 thousand paintings, including self-portraits of artists.
Also on the bridge is a bust of the jeweler, artist, sculptor and simply famous Florentine Benvenuto Cellini. This place is significant for couples in love: they come to this bust and hang a padlock on the fence, which is a symbol of strong love. According to local stories, this tradition was introduced by a local castle seller, whose shop is located at the end of the bridge. As in any other similar places, this is a headache for the city authorities: they simply do not have time to cut the locks. Therefore, they set a high fine - 160 euros.
Location
Address: Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), Firenze, Italy.
Ponte Vecchio is located in the city center, next to the Uffizi Gallery. From the north, the street Por Santa Maria rests against the bridge. Nearby are the Ponte alle Grazie and Santa Trinita bridges.
How to get there
The easiest way is by taxi. It is possible on public transport: VOLA IN BUS buses run around the city, go to the Stariy Most stop.
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