Ponte Vecchio

The Ponte Vecchio, the "old bridge", crosses the Arno at its narrowest point and is the only one of Florence's bridges to survive the Second World War. A crossing here is recorded as early as 996, but the present stone bridge, with its three segmental arches, was built after a flood destroyed its predecessor in 1333 and has stood since the 1340s. Vasari credited the design to Taddeo Gaddi; some historians suggest Neri di Fioravanti.

Its shops are what make it unique. They were first occupied by butchers, tanners and other traders, until a 16th-century decree reserved the bridge for goldsmiths and jewellers, which is still the case today. Many of the little workshops hang out over the water on wooden brackets. In 1565 Cosimo I had Vasari build an elevated passage, the Vasari Corridor, along the top of the shops on the east side so the Medici could walk between the Palazzo Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti without mixing with the public. In the centre, the bridge opens into two terraces with views up and down the river, and a bust of the goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini, made in 1900, stands above a fountain on the east side.

In August 1944 retreating German forces blew up every other bridge in the city but spared the Ponte Vecchio, blocking its approaches with rubble instead. The bridge was badly damaged again by the 1966 flood. Attaching padlocks to the railings is banned and fined.

Crossing is free and possible at any hour. In the middle of the day it is packed and slow, so come early in the morning, when the shops are still shuttered, or in the evening, when the light on the river is beautiful. The best views of the bridge itself are from the neighbouring Ponte Santa Trinita to the west and the Ponte alle Grazie to the east. Watch your bags in the crowds.

The bridge links the Uffizi side of the river with the Oltrarno, and Via Guicciardini continues south to the Palazzo Pitti in about five minutes. Piazza della Signoria is around five minutes' walk north.