Ponte Vecchio at night, Florence, Italy

The Ponte Vecchio or Vecchio Bridge has quite some history to it. It is the oldest of Florence’s 5 bridges, dates back to Roman times and was built of wood at that time. It was destroyed by flood twice, the first time in 1117 and the second in 1333. It was once again severely damaged by flood waters in 1966. During World War 2 the Germans destroyed all of Florence’s bridges other than the Ponte Vecchio and rumour has it that it was a direct order from Hitler to spare the bridge.

Before the 15th century the Ponte Vecchio was home to tanneries, greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers and other shopkeepers. The occupants would dump their refuse into the Arno and the smell must have been quite unpleasant to say the least. Ferdinando I de’ Medici the Grand Duke of Tuscany had them all removed and replaced with jewelers and goldsmiths and that is how it remains to this day. It’s quite a sight to see so many of these shops in a row. While the prices of the jewelery can be quite expensive I’d still suggest a stroll across the bridge to look at the craftsmanship and beauty of the individual pieces. Thankfully window shopping is free! At the mid point of the bridge there is an opening to give pedestrians a great view of the Arno river and shoreline from both sides of the bridge. I was able to get some other nice shots from that vantage point which I will share with you in future blog posts.

Walking across the Ponte Vecchio during the day is a very interesting experience with all the tourists exploring the jewelery shops but at night the bridge takes on a completely different feeling. Due to the nature of the business that takes place on the bridge the security is tight and all the shops are boarded up to the point where it’s unrecognizable at first glance, it really looks like a scene from medieval times. That is one of the things I enjoy the most when traveling, walking around after the shops and stores have closed when there are far less people milling about. Not only is it nice for the photos I am taking but being alone in a place where there would usually be hundreds or thousands of people is a surreal experience and brings a feeling of peace and tranquility that is hard to describe. Try it, the next time you are near one of those magical places on a trip, go there before the sunrises or late at night and experience having such a wondrous location all to yourself. I think you’ll see what I mean.