The Ponte Vecchio
Medieval bridge spared in WWII, lined with shops.
Last updated
Ввласенко · CC BY-SA 3.0
Where it is
Coordinates: 43°46′05″N 11°15′11″E (43.7680, 11.2530) · Open in OpenStreetMap
Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Ponte Vecchio (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.
It is noted for the shops built along it, a practice once common on bridges.[1] The bridge was the only one in Florence spared from destruction during World War II.[1]
Geography and history
A 1565 decree excluded butchers from the bridge, allowing only goldsmiths and jewellers, a rule still in effect.[2] A bronze bust of Benvenuto Cellini was placed on the bridge in 1900, commissioned by leading goldsmiths.[3] A written record from 996 provides the earliest known mention of a bridge at this location; that structure was demolished by a flood in 1117 and subsequently rebuilt using stone.[4] In 1333, a flood swept the bridge away, sparing only its two central piers, an event chronicled by Giovanni Villani.[5]
Neri di Fioravanti is put forward by contemporary historians as a potential builder of the bridge.[6]
What the cited sources add
The same source notes that the bridge's construction could not support the weight of tanks and trucks, so there was no need to bomb it.[7] The Biblioteca nazionale centrale di Firenze account explains that German authorities decided to mine all bridges except the Ponte Vecchio, which was instead surrounded by rubble.[8] A 2024 news article reports that the bridge is getting a two-year restoration costing about €2 million, announced by the city of Florence and Marchesi Antinorini winemakers.[9] Florence's mayor Dario Nardella stated that the bridge has never had a restoration intervention of this technical complexity.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Ponte Vecchio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dupré, Judith, "Bridges: A History of the World's Most Spectacular Spans", Hachette/Black Dog & Leventhal, 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ponte Vecchio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Haegen, "Art & Architecture: Tuscany", H.F.Ullmann Publishing, 2013, p. 216 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ponte Vecchio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Raffaello Romanelli", Galleria Romanelli (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ponte Vecchio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Touring Club Italiano, Firenze e dintorni 1964:321; Dupré, Judith, "Bridges: A History of the World's Most Spectacular Spans", Hachette/Black Dog & Leventhal, 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ponte Vecchio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dupré, Judith, "Bridges: A History of the World's Most Spectacular Spans", Hachette/Black Dog & Leventhal, 2017; Zucconi, "Florence: An Architectural Guide", Arsenale Editrice srl, 1995; Bartlett, Kenneth R. (1992). The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance. Toronto: D.C. Heath and Company. (Paperback). Page 40.; Melaragno, "Preliminary Design of Bridges for Architects and Engineers", Marcel Dekker, 1998, p. 3 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ponte Vecchio" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Touring Club Italiano, Firenze e dintorni 1964:321 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Rumour has it... Hitler and the Ponte Vecchio", Time Travel Turtle. facts only, no text reused. timetravelturtle.com
- "The library during the Second World War", Biblioteca nazionale centrale di Firenze, 2026-03-17. facts only, no text reused. bncf.cultura.gov.it
- "Florence's famed Ponte Vecchio to be restored to former glory with two-year makeover", Nine Entertainment Co. Pty Limited, 15 April 2024. facts only, no text reused. travel.nine.com.au
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ponte Vecchio (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ponte Vecchio (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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