Joining the two banks of the River Arno in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), a medieval bridge dating from 1345 in which are some of the most exclusive jewelry stores in the city.
In the next picture, you can see from the Uffizi:
The current stone bridge takes the place of a primitive wooden bridge built by the Romans around the year 980 and was destroyed several times because of floods, the most serious being that of 1333, when it was reduced to rubble.
Since rebuilt in stone in 1345, Ponte Vecchio has always been occupied by various shops and businesses that were originally butchers, blacksmiths or cleaners that were dumping waste into the River.
With the advent of the Medici family in the mid-sixteenth century, built a row of shops on the bridge that united the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, the famous Vasari Corridor .
Since that time, stores were evacuated from the bridge due to bad smells and bad aspect that gave the nobles of the time they used this corridor.
Most traders rebelled and the authorities sent soldiers to break down the establishments and benches in selling their goods, so it is believed that, hence the term "bankruptcy" (Italian for "bench rotta") and who had no other place to work and sell their products.
Locals did not spend much time without activity, since the place formerly occupied by butchers and tanners' shops were occupied by goldsmiths and silversmiths, the same type of stores that we see today.
One of the curiosities of this bridge are the buildings that hang on both fronts towards the Arno and are supported by wooden beams that rest on pillars.
Halfway through the bridge is an area with no shops from where we look out on the banks of the Arno and a great view of the city.
In this space there is a bust of a famous Florentine goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini.
Finally, I leave two night views of the bridge, a must if you do night in the capital of Renaissance art.
