The famous bridge in Florence. Ponte Vecchio is an old bridge in Florence. From the history of the Vecchio bridge
During the Second World War, when the German troops left Florence, it was decided to blow up all the city's bridges in order to delay the enemy's rapid advance. Five of the six bridges were indeed blown up, but the sixth Ponte Vecchio miraculously saved in Florence.
History and description of the famous bridge of Florence
The bridge has been connecting the banks of the Arno River since time immemorial, which is why its current name translates as "Old Bridge". Probably, the bridge here was built in the time of the Etruscans, and with the advent of the Romans, it was already rebuilt in a new wooden look. Since that time, the bridge has always stood in this place, and after the destruction it is diligently rebuilt.
The Arno River is distinguished by its violent behavior. Throughout history, her hostile attitude has completely destroyed the bridge many times. One of the first documented evidence of such an event dates back to the distant year 972. Then comes a series of restoration and destruction, until in 1332 a stone bridge is erected on this site.
By this time, the city acquires several more bridges across the Arno. But severe flood 1333 once again amends the city plan. Water level at central square Florence at that time exceeded a meter, the city walls were damaged, more than 300 people died. Mars was considered the patron saint of the city, whose statue was installed at the entrance of Ponte Vecchio, but the flood did not spare her either. Later, a statue of St. John the Baptist was erected in its place, and since then the elements have no longer violated the strength of the bridge.
After the flood, Ner di Fioravante and Taddeo Gaddi took up the problem of the stability of the bridge. In 1335-1345, they carried out work on the construction and strengthening of a new bridge, which was no longer supposed to collapse under the onslaught of clearing water. Since that time, the bridge has been standing to this day, becoming the hallmark of Florence.
The use of segmental arches made it the first bridge of its kind in all of Europe. The covered bridge consists of three arches rising 4.4 meters. The central span reaches 30 meters, the side spans are slightly smaller - 27 meters each. It is noteworthy that the bridge is made wide - as much as 32 meters.
From the Middle Ages to the present day, merchants' shops have been located on the bridge. Initially, there were butchers and tanners here, but a smart council decided to remove them from the symbol of Florence, replacing them with "noble" jewelers and other precious metal craftsmen. This is reminiscent of the statue of Benvenuto Cellini, the patron saint of jewelers in Italy, installed here.
Benvenuto Cellini
In 1565, the bridge was supplemented by a covered gallery connecting the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti. The building was designed by Vasari, which is why it is called the “Vazarino corridor”. The gallery located above the merchants' shops offers a great view of the Arno River and Florence.
Corridor Vazarino
Another major flood occurred in 1966. All the shops were washed away, but the Ponte Vecchio bridge survived. A truly eternal bridge, which is famous for being popular with tourists visiting glorious city Florence.
A story about the 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, especially for the arrival of the guest of honor, made observation deck with large rectangular windows on the inside of the Vasari Corridor. 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:
Are you planning a trip? That way!We have prepared some useful gifts for you. They will help save money at the stage of preparation for the trip.
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.
Ponte Vecchio ( Ponte Vecchio) is the oldest bridge in Florence (Italy), it is three-arch bridge, which was built on the site of two previous bridges: a bridge of the ancient Roman era, a bridge that collapsed in 1117, and a bridge demolished by a flood in 1333. Now Ponte Vecchio is a symbol of the city and perhaps this is its brightest place.
The Ponte Vecchio bridge was built in 1345 by the architect Neri di Fioravanti (Italian: Neri di Fioravante), who designed and created a fairly solid structure, it was supposed to be much stronger than the predecessor bridge, which could not withstand the flood in 1333. Although the construction of the current bridge is quite strong, but in 1966 the Vecchio bridge was badly damaged during a large flood of the Arno River.
The most striking feature that distinguishes the Vecchio Bridge from others is the houses located on both sides of it. In the center of the spans of the bridge, a row of buildings is interrupted and turns into an open area from which you can admire the river and other bridges of the city. In 1565, on the orders of Cosimo I de' Medici, the "Vasari Corridor" was built - the Uffizi Gallery and the Vasari Corridor - a covered passage that runs over the Ponte Vecchio bridge and connects the Uffizi with the Pitti Palace, which was used exclusively by members of the court.
Strange small round windows with bars were made along the corridor, according to legend, they were created by order of the ruler in order to eavesdrop on what people are talking about below on the bridge. At that time, butcher shops were located in the lower part of the bridge, but over time, unpleasant smells of perishable products began to emanate from the market, and in 1593 he categorically banned the trade in perishable products here, and jewelry stores and workshops appeared in their place on the Ponte Vecchio. In this regard, it was also called the "Golden Bridge".
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.
An interesting fact, the word "bankrupt" came from here. Once traded on the Ponte Vecchio bridge, a seller whose trade was so unprofitable that he could not pay for the place and went into debt, for this he was beaten by soldiers and his trading shop (banco) was once smashed (rotto) and he could not do more trading. After that, the process of debt squabbles of those times fit into such a familiar word "bancorotto" or "broken table": no table - no trade.
Each city has its own building, which is its symbol, associated with the city. Along with Cathedral Florence, old bridge Renaissance period called Ponte Vecchio - the brightest 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 one wooden bridge, which 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 the buildings were rebuilt, some of them according to original designs, and some according to new ones. 
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 
A story about the 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 visiting cards of wonderful Florence. It is located at the narrowest point of the Arno River and connects the 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 Adolf Hitler himself banned the undermining of cultural heritage 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. It's about a 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 move unnoticed from the Vecchio palace to the Pitti residence. Why not just walk across the bridge, you think? There are at least three reasons for this:
Are you planning a trip? That way!We have prepared some useful gifts for you. They will help save money at the stage of preparation for the trip.
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.
