Residential bridge in florence. History of Florence on the Ponte Vecchio. History of the Ponte Vecchio

A story about a unique Florentine bridge Ponte Vecchio. One of the few surviving fully built-up bridges. But it is unique for other reasons as well.

Ponte Vecchio is one of the main business cards wonderful Florence. It is located at the narrowest point of the Arno River and connects two parts of the legendary Italian city. This bridge is notable for several reasons.

The oldest bridge in Florence

It was built by the architect Neri di Fioravanti in 1345 and to this day the bridge has hardly changed its appearance. Even during the Second World War, he survived, although all the other bridges were blown up. True, the reasons are different. Someone believes that thanks to the Resistance, and someone believes that undermine cultural heritage Adolf Hitler himself banned it by personal decree. By the way, one of the few bridge upgrades is connected with the German dictator. Even before the World War, Mussolini made an observation deck with large rectangular windows on the inside of the Vasari Corridor especially for the arrival of the guest of honor. It was decided to leave these windows, and they have survived to this day.

Author of the photo: Carlo Broggi. The picture was taken before 1925

Last of the Mohicans

The Ponte Vecchio gives us an idea of ​​what city crossings looked like in the late Middle Ages. The fact is that there was not so much free space in the city, and in the megacities of that time, bridges were often built up with houses or trading shops. For example, it was completely built up. It contained more than a hundred different kinds of buildings. By the way, if you read the novel "Perfumer" or, then it was on the bridge Changer that Baldini's shop collapsed into the Seine along with its owner. But at some point, the main bridges in Europe were cleared of buildings, but the Ponte Vecchio survived and continues to amaze the guests of Florence for hundreds of years.

Inside the bridge is the secret corridor of Vasari

Numerous tourists walking along the bridge are not always aware that another path lies directly above their heads to the other side of the river. This is about secret corridor. It was designed by the architect Vasari, after whom the secret passage got its name. Construction began in 1565 on the initiative of Duke Cosimo I, who belonged to the legendary Medici dynasty. The main task of the move is to connect the two banks of the river so that the duke can pass unnoticed from Palace Vecchio to the Pitti residence. Why not just walk across the bridge, you think? There are at least three reasons for this:

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For safety

When we talk about Florence and the Medici, we are a priori talking about the struggle for power. And this means that the life of the ruler may depend on the ability to quietly move from one building to another.

For comfort

The bridge is a busy place of trade. During the time of Cosimo, butcher shops were located there. Since the sanitary situation was of little concern to anyone, the bridge exuded the furious smells of rotten meat and waste. The presence of a separate corridor somewhat facilitated the situation. By the way, butchers were permanent residents of the bridge until the 16th century, after which they were replaced by jewelry stores and the atmosphere became easier.

For espionage

Since there were always a lot of people hanging around the butcher shops who gave free rein to the language, the Duke of Tuscany used this for banal eavesdropping. According to rumors, the most careless talkers could be imprisoned the very next day.

Birthplace of bankruptcy

The bridge has an interesting history. There is a legend that it was here that the term "bankruptcy" was born. This is due to the fact that when the merchant on the Ponte Vecchio was completely ruined, the city guards came and broke (rotto) his counter (banco). This procedure was called "bancorotto". After the person lost the counter, he could no longer engage in trade. In other words, he was declared bankrupt.

The famous French writer Maurice Druon describes the spirit of this place as follows:

Superstructures, benches, awnings, pots of flowers, clothes drying on clotheslines, medieval crowds - all this is amusing and curious. But the arches, the curves of the arches that support the Ponte Vecchio and all its trade, the rhythm of these arches that divide the yellow waters of the Arno into equal segments, is already perfection.

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 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 of the 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.

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The houses of the nuns on the bridge alla Grazie

The Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence can be safely called one of the main attractions of the Tuscan capital. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that never since its construction, namely since 1345, the bridge has not changed its appearance. Just imagine that Michelangelo once walked along its pavement, looking for characters for his famous frescoes. And the muse of Botticelli - Simonetta Vespucci, whose beautiful face the artist immortalized in his creation "The Birth of Venus", walking along the bridge, quickened her pace to get rid of annoying fans ...

Old bridge in Florence. History of creation

"Old Bridge" - that's how it is translated from Italian name bridge Ponte Vecchio. And not because it is the oldest in the city.

The fact is that long before its construction, two bridges already stood at this very place: the first was built back in ancient times and far outlived its builders. severe flood, which occurred on the Arno River in 1117, was the last test for the ancient Roman bridge, as a result of which it was completely destroyed.

"Old Bridge" - this is how the name of the Ponte Vecchio bridge is translated from Italian

The second bridge, soon erected on the same site, managed to hold out for a little over two hundred years. However, it suffered the fate of its predecessor: the bridge was demolished by merciless water in 1333.

During the construction of the third and last bridge Ponte Vecchio, its architect, had to work hard to ensure that the structure was strong enough to withstand all the weather. And, apparently, he succeeded.

View of the "Golden Bridge" and the Arno River

Construction of the Ponte Vecchio and its features

Surprisingly, with its strength, which allowed it to withstand almost 700 years, stone three-arch bridge Ponte Vecchio does not look heavy at all, rather the opposite. The architect managed to give the building a kind of lightness, one might even say elegance.

This is despite the fact that in addition to its main function - crossing from one bank of the Arno River to the other - there are many jewelry shops and Art Gallery.

At the center of the bridge is Observation deck With beautiful view to the river

The shops that line both sides of the Ponte Vecchio give way to a viewing platform in its very center with a beautiful view of the river.

Once there was a brisk trade in meat, and there were so many goods that the length of the bridge was not enough for everyone. The butchers had to “sculpt” additional extensions, and they still hang on both sides of the bridge. Then the meat merchants were literally forced out by the "goldsmiths" of the master. And to XVII century, due to the abundance of shops selling gold and silver jewelry, Ponte Vecchio in Florence has firmly established another name - the Golden Bridge.

Small dormer windows were made along the Vasari corridor

Vasari Corridor: passage for nobles and art gallery

The Vasari Corridor, which today houses the famous Florence Art Gallery, was completed over the existing bridge buildings in 1565. Such was the order of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I. Along this corridor, the duke and his retinue could freely move from to, i.e. from the place where he worked to the place where he lived.

It is curious that along the entire length of the corridor there are small round windows, which, according to legend, made it possible for the duke to always be aware of the situation in the city and what his subjects were talking about.

The art gallery of the Vasari Corridor contains more than 2 thousand paintings.

In addition, on one of the sections of the corridor there are panoramic windows, from where great views to the Arno River and the Santa Trinita Bridge, which the townspeople consider the most elegant bridge in.

The Vasari Corridor, or rather the art gallery located in it, stores more than 2 thousand paintings. Its collection contains priceless creations of Roman and Neapolitan masters who worked in the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the gallery you can see self-portraits of Rubens and Raphael, Velasquez and Vasari, Kustodiev and Kiprensky. Works by great Italian artists and other world celebrities, from the Middle Ages to the first half of the 20th century.

Bust of Benvenuto Cellini and locks of love

A bust of the famous Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, musician and jeweler Benvenuto Cellini has been adorning the western side of Ponte Vecchio in Florence since 1901. His statue of "Perseus" with the severed head of the Gorgon Medusa in his hands is one of the most famous works of the master (it can be seen on). By the way, Cellini worked on this sculpture for about 9 years - from 1545 to 1554.

It is interesting that the fence that protects the bust of Benvenuto Cellini is all hung with the “locks of love” that are so popular today, symbolizing its eternity.

Rumor has it that the idea to hang a castle on the railing of a bust of a famous sculptor belongs to the owner of a castle shop. Now his business is booming, especially considering that the store is located right on the bridge.

This bridge is considered the oldest in all of Florence, and yet it is unlike any other bridge in Italy. Arch bridge, thrown across the narrowest point of the Arno River, to this day has retained its almost original appearance since its construction in 1345.

Landmark history

The current Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, which today spans the Arno River and which is the subject of the liveliest interest of tourists, is the third river crossing built in this place in Italy.

The first viaduct was built in the era ancient rome . It was wooden and stood on stone pylons. Much outlived by its builders, the crossing was destroyed in 1117 by a severe flood. The second bridge, built taking into account previous construction errors, lasted almost two centuries, but it suffered the same fate as the first one - the strongest flood of the Arno in 1333 destroyed Ponte Vecchio almost to the ground.

During the construction of the third viaduct, the architects had to work hard to finally find a solution in which the crossing would be strong enough to withstand the onslaught of water in case of a possible flood of the river. By the way, I had to check this in practice - many centuries later, in 1966, another rise in water flooded both the Ponte Vecchio and the Vasari Gallery, causing damage to both artisan shops and priceless works of art ...

In the meantime, in the 14th century, Florentine architects were deciding how to combine architectural elegance and strength of the structure. By the way, historians are still scratching their heads - who owns the authorship who is the architect of the project really? The fact is that according to some documents, Taddeo Gaddi is called the architect of the building, and later sources claim that the project belongs to Neri di Fioravante.

The name of the bridge is translated from Italian as "Old Bridge".

Its second name - Golden - Ponte Vecchio received by no means due to the fact that it is an architectural value. Since the 16th century, merchants of one or another commodity settled on the bridge., having received permission from the municipality to build retail shops. And most a large number of these shops belonged to jewelers. Only one shop has survived to this day, which began trading from that time - a jewelry shop belonging to the Peccini family.

According to medieval traditions, Ponte Vecchio was divided into 38 sections. on which trade was conducted. Merchants lived here, on the same plots. Moreover, the area of ​​the store was barely enough to place goods, so the shops were expanded and built on - they literally hung over the water. Today we can see the panorama of the sights and small houses, as if clinging to it on the sides. By the way, shops and shops today have almost the same appearance as they did in the 16th century.

In the 20th century, during the Second World War, the bridge over happy accident escaped the fate of being destroyed. In 1938, Adolf Hitler arrived in Florence for a visit. He got acquainted with the main sights of the city, visited, on the Ponte Vecchio bridge - an observation deck was specially built for the Fuhrer's arrival. A few years later, during the war years, during the retreat of German soldiers, many buildings (including historical ones) were blown up, but Ponte Vecchio escaped a similar fate.

According to one version, Hitler involuntarily admired the stamina of the Resistance fighters who defended the bridge and the palaces that surrounded it; according to another version, he simply could not forget the amazing panorama of the Arno River from the observation deck of Ponte Vecchio ...

Do you want to know more about the sights of Florence? Check out the construction history famous cathedral located in the city!

Legends of Florence associated with the construction

Residents are very fond of telling stories and legends associated with this attraction. In particular, stories about how and why jewelry shops appeared on the viaduct. There are three historical versions of this fact.

According to the first version, in 1442 a special decree was issued for all meat and fish merchants to move to one strictly defined place in the city, so that unpleasant odors would not offend the sense of smell of noble gentlemen in palaces.

By order of the city rulers, all fish and butcher shops were now located in the area of ​​the Ponte Vecchio crossing. This continued until, in 1556, by order of the Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo de Medici, the Vasari Corridor was built, connecting the Palazzo Pitti.

Every time, passing along the Vasari corridor, the Tuscan ruler frowned and covered his nose- not aristocratic smells of fish and meat reached him, as well as the smell of spoiled goods that were dumped into the river. His son Ferdinando, who became ruler after his father, was not so tolerant.

During one of the transitions from the Old Palace to the Palazzo Pitti, Ferdinando became so angry because of the terrible smells that he ordered all butchers and fishmongers to be driven away, and others to be opened in their place. So jewelers' shops appeared on the bridge, to which a more sophisticated audience went.

The second version says that the Vasari corridor served not only as a secret passage of rulers from one palace to another. Standing in a secret corridor right above malls, Ferdinando Medici, through special round windows in the corridor, could hear all the conversations of merchants and their customers. And these conversations were not always pleasant to the ear of the ruler. Ordinary people did not hesitate to discuss both political topics and the personality of the ruler himself. Therefore, the duke ordered to get rid of the commoners, and for double rent in 1593 goldsmiths settled here.

The third version is no less interesting, and it concerns the daughter of Ferdinando Medici. The young princess, passing along the Vasari corridor, became an involuntary listener to all the dialogues on the bridge. And since they traded and bought there simple people, who were not shy in expressions, then the vocabulary of the Medici daughter was greatly replenished - however, the words were far from those that were accepted in the palaces. Hearing from his daughter the lexicon of merchants, Ferdinando in anger drove out all the merchants of fish and meat.

There is also a belief that the word "bankrupt" was born precisely on the Ponte Vecchio bridge. If the merchant did not pay the rent on time and debts ran up, then the counter (banko) on which he traded was broken by the guards (rotto) sent by the authorities.

That is, literally the word "bankrupt" or "bankruptcy" means "a broken counter" (or a ruined bank). And if the counter was broken (“bankorotto”), then there was nothing to trade on.

And the Arno River in the Ponte Vecchio area is called the "gold mine", and in the literal sense. The fact is that during the flood in 1966, the water rose by several meters. Almost all shops were flooded with water. Some of the merchants who arrived here in response to calls from the night watchmen were able to save some of their goods. The rest of the shops were flooded, and part of the gold jewelry was washed away by the receding water. Of course, work to search for the missing jewelry was carried out in the waters of the Arno for many more years, but without any special results.

What is he like today

There are currently 10 crossings across the Arno, and all of them have been rebuilt and restored (especially after the raids during the Second World War). Everything except the Golden Bridge. The view of Ponte Vecchio has remained virtually unchanged since its construction. in 1345. A classic three-arch viaduct, the central arch is 30 meters long, and the two side arches are 27 meters each. The height of the vaults of Ponte Vecchio is from 3.5 to 4.4 meters.

Ponte Vecchio today is a row of jewelry stores and a small observation deck. This site offers a wonderful panoramic view of the Arno River. Looking at the muddy water of a calm and unhurried river, it is hard to imagine that this river once posed a direct threat to the city. You can take photos from the observation deck. But if you walk from Piazza Senoria along the Arno, you can take an equally gorgeous panoramic shot of the sight itself - beautiful arches over the water.

The bridge looks especially beautiful at night - illuminated by many lights, it becomes a meeting place and a landmark for tourists.

The stores offer a wide range of products made of gold and platinum.

True, tourists stop to see more than to buy - the prices for these products are quite high. For an inconspicuous-looking gold ring, you need to pay at least 200 euros.

On the west side of the bridge is a bust of Benvenuto Cellini, an Italian musician and sculptor of the Renaissance (the author of the bust is Raffaello Romanelli). One of the famous sculptural works master Cellini - a statue of Perseus with the severed head of Medusa Gorgon - is located on the Piazza Senoria. The installation and opening of the statue in 1901 was dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Cellini.

The bust of Cellini is surrounded by a small metal fence. This site has become a place of pilgrimage for newlyweds and couples.- as a sign of the inviolability of love and family ties, each couple hung a padlock on the fence. Rumor has it that this idea belonged to the owner of the store of locks, located near the installed bust. Either way, his business is booming. But the authorities of Florence did not like this custom - not only did the castles spoil the aesthetic appearance of the sculpture, this tradition threatened the bridge itself, causing damage to it.

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

There are quite a lot of such “visiting cards” in Florence 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, Cathedral and the Ponte Vecchio. 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 move from the Vecchio palace to the Pitti residence, was completed by the builders 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 rent to the authorities. 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 was built in the Vasari corridor in record time. 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”.