The Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, the oldest bridge in Florence spans the river Arno. Extensions to shops jut out over the river.

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The Ponte Vecchio dates from 1345. There have always been workshops on the bridge but butchers, tanners and blacksmiths, who were here originally and used the river as a convenient way of disposing of their rubbish, were evicted by Duke Ferdinando the first in 1593. This reduced both noise and smell and encouraged more workshops to be built and the bridge became popular with goldsmiths and other more salubrious establishments. These workshops can be seen as extensions to the bridge overhanging the river. The bridge was the only one in the city to escape being blown up in WW2.

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Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Ponte Vecchio Florence Italy
Photo credit: © Brian Hartshorn / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: arno, bridge, crossing, florence, florence., florenec, goldsmiths, italy, jewellery, mediaeval, medieval, ponte, river, shops, tourist, vecchio, visit, visiting, visitors, workshops