Ponte Vecchio

This famous bridge has twinkled with the glittering wares of jewellers ever since the 16th century, when Ferdinando I de’ Medici ordered them here to replace the often mal­odorous presence of the town butchers, who were wont to toss unwanted leftovers into the river.

The bridge as it stands was built in 1345 and was the only one in Florence saved from destruction by the retreating Germans in 1944. Look above the shops on the eastern side and you will see the Corridoio Vasariano, an elevated covered passageway joining the Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti that was designed by Vasari for Cosimo I in 1565. Its original design incorporated small windows to ensure the privacy of the Medici family members who used it, but when Hitler visited Florence in 1941, his mate and fellow dictator Benito Mussolini had new windows punched into the corridor walls over the bridge so that his guest could enjoy an expansive view down the Arno. The corridor is currently closed for restoration.

At the southern end of the bridge is the medieval Torre dei Mannelli which looks rather odd, as the Corridoio Vasariano was built around it, not simply straight through it as the Medici would have preferred.