Published on : 14 July 20212 min reading time
The most famous tourist attraction in Florence and probably the most visited. Ponte Vecchio or the “Old Bridge” is, among other things, called the world’s most beautiful bridge. It is not like other bridges and therefore you should see it on your city break in Florence.
The river Arno runs beautifully through Florence and divides the city in two and Ponte Vecchio gathers the city again. It is the bridge in Florence that everybody wants to cross and although there are some bridges you can use, then you should use Ponte Vecchio.
The story of the bridge is long and the first bridge called Ponte Vecchio was built around 50 BC. It was built of wood, but when the Arno River is often hit by floods, then several bridges was washed away. The current Pont Vecchio is built in 1345 and the constructor Taddeo Gaddi has done a good job.
At the beginning mainly butchers traded on the bridge and in 1565 there where built a sort of houses on the bridge, which was actually built as a corridor for the nobles between Palazzo Pitti and Palazzo Vecchio. sIn 1593 the butchers where banished from the bridge, because they where throwing waste from the meat in the river and also because the smell from the dead animals. Instead Goldsmiths and Jewelers established their businesses on the bridge and they are still there.
Each day of the year many tourists come to visit the Ponte Vecchio and it can sometimes be difficult to cross the bridge. Trading is still going on and you can buy all the jewelry you want on Ponte Vecchio. We strongly recommend going and seeing the bridge on your city break to Florence.