The Bridges of Florence: History and Architecture.

By Hayli Balgobin

The city of Florence is located in the middle of Italy and there is not much water to observe, except the streaming Arno River. Connecting the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace, there are 6 bridges that are enriched with the history of Florence.

Ponte Vecchio

The Ponte Vecchio is that oldest of all the bridges. It was built during the Roman period; it has been remodeled many of times since then. In 1333, there was a flood that damaged the bridge, and the reconstruction of the bridge was entrusted in Taddeo Gaddi.

The modern version of the bridge was rebuilt in 1345. Since the bridge attracted a lot of tourists, merchants began to build their shops along the edges. In fact, the bridge does not look like a bridge at all. Instead, it is comparable to a shopping mall on the water.

During World War II, every other bridge in Florence had been destroyed by the Nazis. However, Hitler had a connection to the Ponte Vecchio and spared it from destruction. The is why it is the oldest bridge in Florence.

Lina is visiting her friend Tatiana for vacation.

The Ponte Vecchio has survived floods, wars, and all the above. There is nothing that this bridge can not with stand.

There is more to the bridge than its stone walls. Tatiana is a tourist of Florence, and she is in awe because she is walking down the same path of so many historical people. She envisions what is was like when they walked over the Ponte Vecchio.

“They are part of the history of Florence. There were many to step on it from all of the Medici’s, to Michelangelo, and Leonardo DaVinci. I kind of know what was there in referring to moments of Florentine history. I know where people went to eat and where they would buy this and that. For me, it is a way to see a film in my head. And I see all of the different eras overlap,” said Tatiana.

Ponte San Niccolo

The Florentines started to build the bridge in 1317, then they stopped after laying down the foundation. The single-arched bridge was officially built in 1837.

The bridge was originally named Ponte San Ferdinando in honor of the Grand Duke Ferdinando III of Tuscany. Then it was renamed the Ponte San Niccolo after the fall of the Lorraine family.

Before it was destroyed in World War II, the original bridge was constructed with metal strings that held up the bridge, allowing it to stretch across the Arno. However, it was rebuilt in 1949 with a single arch.

Ponte Alle Grazie

Built by Messer Rubaconte da Mandella in 1237, the bridge was originally constructed with 8 arches. Similar to the Ponte Vecchio, it had shops all along the edges of the bridge.

Then the ruination occurred. The arches reduced by three from the rivers that weathered it down the sides and the construction of the Lungarni.

Unlike other bridges across the Arno, the Ponte Alle Grazie withstood all the destrcutive floods, but it could not protect itself from World War II. The Ponte Alle Grazie had so much potential, but because of the war it was reconstructed in the 1950s, and never returned to its original form.

Ponte Santa Trinità

Located between Ponte Vecchio and Ponte Alla Carraia, the Ponte Santa Trinità was built in 1252. It was named after the church of St. Trinity, and it is considered one of the most elegant bridges in Europe.

In 1557, the flood destroyed the bridge, taking 10 years to rebuild. The Ponte Santa Trinità was reconstructed by Italian sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati with the help of Michelangelo. The new structure was designed in a baroque style with its three elliptical arches.

Kishma Patmaik sits on the edge of the Ponte Santa Trinita with her thoughts, enjoying her first day alone in the city.

Sitting on the edge of the bridge, Kishma Patmaik gazed at the view with her thoughts, admiring the Ponte Vecchio from the Ponte Santa Trinità. Patmaik is from San Francisco, California, and she compares the differences between the bridges in Florence to the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

“It’s a different beauty. I think it is more than the way that it looks. It’s the sense of how many feet have crossed this bridge. How many people have gone down thinking about their lives. That’s what gives it its specialness,” said Patmaik.

She had been in Florence for five days and explored it with her two goddaughters. It was her first day by herself, and she decided to sit with her thoughts on the Ponte Santa Trinità.

“I came to see the water and get a sense of history as well. There is something about the spaces people transit that are interesting,” said Patmaik.

Ponte alla Carraia

Next to the Ponte Vecchio, the Ponte Alla Carraia is the second oldest bridge in Florence, which is why it is called “Ponte Nuovo”. It was built in 1218, and it was named “alla Carraia” because it was a place for wagons to travel on.

The Ponte Alla Carraia has gone through various forms. It was rebuilt three times in different material. It was originally created in wood, then remade in stone and wood, and in 1557 it was reconstructed in full stone.

Like most bridges in Florence, the Ponte Alla Carraia had to be redone from the German destruction. However, it did not look the same as the original, for it was criticized for its humpback structure.

Ponte Amerigo Vespucci

Unlike all the other bridges along the Arno River, the Ponte Amerigo Vespucci was built in the 1950s with a modern style. It connects the Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci to the Lungarno Soderini and it was named after explorer Amerigo Vespucci, who participated in two voyages during the Age of Discovery.

This bridge may be young, but it is a relic in its own way. The Ponte Amerigo Vespucci was created with the recycled scraps from the destroyed bridges of the Second World War.

These bridges brought people together after the war. The people of Florence knew how important they were, which is why they restored them. People from all over the world come to Italy to view their architecture. “They [the bridges] are inspiring. When I first saw them I felt tickles throughout my body,” said Lina from Israel. These bridges are a stroke of genius.