While in Italy a few weeks ago, we visited the beautiful town of Florence. And one of the main sights in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio - a bridge built over the Arno river.
The bridge is quite stunning and has been built upon with an array of buildings. On the external view it looks like quite a random assortment !
However, on the inside you are presented with a beautiful street comprised mostly of jewelers and gold shops !
I was quite lucky to escape the Ponte Vecchio with my bank balance untouched - my wife does like a good jewelry shop !
The bridge is quite centrally located, and because of the shops and its beauty, it attracts quite a crowd. It was built way back in the 14th century after a flood in 1345 washed away the previous bridge. Thats nearly 700 years ago !!!!
One of my fav things about the bridge is the Vasari Corridor. This was a private corridor built by the ruling Medici family that connected the Palazzo Vecchio (the town hall) with the Palazzo Pitti across the river - it allowed the Medici to make that journey in private without having to engage with the masses ! It runs along the top of the bridge. In the pic above you can see it. It comes out of the building on the right, and its the long stretch of tiled roof you can see. It runs down to the bridge and then along the top. I've always wanted to see the corridor, but it was closed while we were there - maybe next time !
I quite like the view above of the bridge - this brave pigeon was quite happy to sit there as we snapped away !
When you walk onto the bridge, it really does feel like you have stepped back in time to a medieval world - it is quite stunning. In the pic above you can also see the Vasari corridor up on the left.
There is an open space in the middle of the bridge allowing views up and down the Arno river. This was quite nice and had buskers playing music and the like - it really was a lovely setting.
On the other side of the open space in the middle you can again see the Vasari corridor, where they had to build two arches in order to carry the corridor and still leave the bridge centre open !
And when it is lit up at night, it is quite something to see ! We were lucky to catch it while the river was still, and managed to get a very nice reflection, which I've already posted before in reflection hunters.
It really is one of the must-see sights in Florence (of which there are a few !). And if you like jewelry then its certainly the place to go ! As far as bridges go, it has to be one of the most famous in the world, and so worth the visit !!!
