The Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio, an emblematic monument of Florence, stands on the river Arno, which you can reach from the Duomo (cathedral) by taking Via Roma and the streets that continue it, Via Calimala and Via Por Santa Maria.
The origin of the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) goes back to the year 120 AD, to allow the Via Cassia (an ancient Roman road) to cross the Arno. Floods of the river regularly destroyed the structures until the construction in 1345 of a bridge entirely of stone, which allowed stalls to be installed.
In 1593, bothered by the smells rising from the shops (butchers – fishmongers – tanners) when he took the Vasari Corridor (it is the protected passage the Medici took to reach Palazzo Pitti from Palazzo Vecchio), Ferdinando I no longer allowed anything there but the noble arts – (jewelers – goldsmiths) – still active today. In the middle of the bridge a small square offers a magnificent view of the Arno and the bridges that cross it.
