Ponte Vecchio

The bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point, where it is believed that a bridge was first built in Roman times, when the via Cassia crossed the river at this point. It was rebuilt in 1345. This location marks one of the earliest crossings of the Arno in Florence, possibly originating from Roman times or even before. Although floods have repeatedly damaged it, the current bridge has stood since approximately 1339-1345. For many years, the only older bridge in the city was the Rubaconte bridge, built nearly a century earlier. But after significant 19th-century modifications to that structure and its destruction in 1944, the Ponte Vecchio claimed its title as the oldest bridge in Florence. Giorgio Vasari recorded the traditional view of his day that attributed its design to Taddeo Gaddi The Torre dei Mannelli was built at the southeast corner of the bridge to defend it. The bridge consists of three segmental arches: the main arch has a span of , and the two side arches each span . The rise of the arches is between 3.5 and 4.4 metres (11½ to 14½ feet), and the span-to-rise ratio is 5:1. The shallow segmental arches, which require fewer piers than the semicircular arch traditionally used by Romans, enabled ease of access and navigation for animal-drawn carts. Another notable design element is the large piazza at the center of the bridge that Leon Battista Alberti described as a prominent ornament in the city. A stone with an inscription from Dante (Paradiso xvi. 140-7) records the spot at the entrance to the bridge where Buondelmonte de' Buondelmonti was murdered by the Amidei clan in 1215, which began the urban fighting of the Guelfs and Ghibellines. The bridge has always hosted shops and merchants who displayed their goods on tables before their premises, after authorization by the Bargello (a sort of a lord mayor, a magistrate and a police authority). == Later additions and changes ==

from Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti In order to connect the Palazzo Vecchio (Florence's town hall) with the Palazzo Pitti, in 1565 Cosimo I de' Medici had Giorgio Vasari build the Vasari Corridor, part of which runs above the Ponte Vecchio. The association of butchers had monopolized the shops on the bridge since 1442. The back shops (retrobotteghe) that may be seen from upriver were added in the seventeenth century. ==20th century==

In 1900, to honour and mark the fourth century of the birth of the great Florentine sculptor and master goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini, the leading goldsmiths of the bridge commissioned the Florentine sculptor, Raffaello Romanelli, to create a bronze bust of Cellini to stand atop a fountain in the middle of the Eastern side of the bridge, where it stands to this day. During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by the German army during their retreat at the advance of the British 8th Army on 4 August 1944, unlike all the other bridges in Florence. This was, according to many locals and tour guides, because of an express order by Hitler. Access to the Ponte Vecchio was, however, obstructed by the destruction of the buildings at both ends of the bridge, which have since been rebuilt using a combination of original and modern designs. The bridge was severely damaged in the 1966 flood of the Arno. Between 2005 and 2006, 5,500 padlocks, known as love locks, which were attached to the railings around the bust of Cellini, were removed by the city council. According to the council, the padlocks were aesthetically displeasing and damaged the bust and its railings. There is now a fine for attaching love locks to the bridge. An announcement in April 2024 stated that work would be completed on the bridge, including a cleaning, an upgrade of the replacement joints previously installed, strengthening of the stone and restoration of the footpath's stone. ==Panorama==

• The bridge is mentioned in the aria "O mio babbino caro" by Giacomo Puccini. • Wall mural in Grossi Florentino, executed by students of Napier Waller under supervision ==See also==