From one Bridge to the next - Florence and its river

The Arno and Florence, an age-old union that binds the city to its river: the beating heart of its economic activities, communication route, theater of historical events. The Arno, with its bridges, became an integral part of the urban fabric and built the fortune of Florence between the 13th and 15th centuries. It is impossible for us to resist the temptation to accompany you and discover these fascinating constructions!

Ponte Vecchio, Florence's first bridge, the origins of which date back to Roman times (1st century B.C.), was soon followed by Ponte alla Carraia, when part of the Oltrarno was annexed to the first circle of city walls. The construction of Ponte alle Grazie took place shortly afterwards while the building of Ponte Santa Trinita goes back to the 16th century.

Let's imagine the Florence of that time, teeming with busy people among mills and the textile factories, the tanners and the dyers on the banks of the river, while we see the merchant ship flowing up the river into the city. Imagine the small brick houses on Ponte alle Grazie, where the hermitages of the Murate were located for centuries; or, on Ponte Vecchio, butchers and fishmongers, replaced in the sixteenth century by the famous goldsmiths, at the behest of Cosimo I de 'Medici. He also commissioned Ponte Santa Trinita, the elegant connection between the area of Palazzo Pitti and "this side of the Arno" faithfully reconstructed after the Second World War. From Ponte alla Carraia we would have seen, until the early nineteenth century, the traditional fireworks (I fochi) that used to end the celebrations for St. John the Baptist, the city's patron saint, every 24 June.

And how can we forget the floods of the Arno, such as that of 1333 which swept away all the bridges except the Ponte alle Grazie, or the Nazi fury in 1944 which razed them all to the ground. All but one: the Ponte Vecchio, which the photos of the time show intact in its beauty surrounded by rubble.

Strolling along the Arno, we invite you to discover the most beautiful bridges in Florence, starting from the Ponte alle Grazie and ending with the Ponte alla Carraia. You will discover them one by one, each with its own story and all together to telling about Florence!