Buon Giorno! Come va? Molto Bene? Good to hear and great to see you, too. Pour yourself a cappuccino and tempt yourself with an Italian pastry today, okay? While we're talking Italian, I want to tell you about an amazing bridge in Florence, Italy ...the Ponte Vecchio.
Many centuries ago, bridges served many purposes. Aside from getting you
over water, it was common for medieval bridges to have chapels and shops built
over them, and many were fortified with towers and ramparts because bridges
served important entry points to the cities. The Ponte Vecchio or the “Old
Bridge” over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, is a medieval stone bridge
noted for still having shops built along it.
The first bridge over the Arno River was probably built by the Romans in
stone and wood and is mentioned in a document that dates from 996. The bridge
was swept away in a flood in 1117 and was rebuilt in stone only to be destroyed
again by another flood in 1333, save for its two central piers. 
Consequently,
the bridge was rebuilt again, twelve years later, designed by the Italian
painter and architect Giotto’s most talented pupil Taddeo Gaddi, who was a
painter and architect in his own right.
Today, the Arno River is spanned by six bridges all of which can be crossed
on foot or by cars, except Ponte Vecchio, which doesn’t allow vehicular
traffic. That’s because this iconic medieval bridge is always crowded with
shoppers.
The Ponte Vecchio has been home to shops across its span since the 13th
century. Merchants would sell their goods on tables after receiving approval to
do so from the proper authorities. When a merchant couldn’t pay his debts, the
table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken
("rotto") by soldiers, effectively shutting down their business. This
practice was called "bancorotto" and is believed that the economic
concept of bankruptcy originated here.
The shops belonged to the Commune and were rented out, originally to
butchers, fishmongers, and tanners. But these merchants produced so much garbage
and foul stench, that Duke Ferdinando de’ Medici threw them out and replaced
them with goldsmiths. The problem was that the Vasari Corridor that connects Florence's town hall with the palace of the ruling family, passes over the Ponte Vecchio and had to bear the foul smell. So the duke decided that the new occupants of the bridge should be goldsmiths. Jewellers still make up a majority of the Ponte Vecchio shops today. In fact, some of Florence’s best jewellers sell their creations on this medieval bridge. There are also some art studios and souvenir shops.
Towards the 15th century, the shops that were originally on rent were sold
to private owners and they began to alter the superstructure adding external
terraces and rooms that extended towards the river supporting on wooden props.
By the 17th century the bridge had taken on a chaotic appearance that we see
today.
During the Second World War,
when the Germans withdrew from Italy back to Germany, they destroyed many fine
bridges in Italy to thwart the advances of the Allies. All the bridges in
Florence were blown up, but Ponte Vecchio was spared. Instead they blocked
access by demolishing the medieval buildings on each side. Even Adolf Hitler
recognized that destroying Ponte Vecchio would be a crime too many.
Indeed it would have been. Ponte Vecchio, in fact the City of Florence (Firenze) is high on my list of places I want to visit...hopefully in this life!
Ciao, eh!
Bob
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