The Ponte Vecchio is older than sliced bread.
While the Ponte Vecchio is technically just a bridge, its golden history and unique architecture solidly places the historical site on every tourist’s to-do list.
The bridge has existed since 1345, and is the oldest bridge in Florence. Other old bridges were destroyed during World War II, leaving the Ponte Vecchio to stand on its own.
The most magical part of the bridge is how it looks. American bridges are utilitarian, they exist to get people from one side of a body of water to the other. If an American bridge is pretty, that’s a feature, not its purpose.
European bridges are beautiful.
Because many major European cities are built on and around rivers, pedestrian bridges are common features. London has the Thames, Paris has the Seine and Florence has the Arno.
It’s hard to imagine a more picture-perfect setting for the Ponte Vecchio. The gorgeous green water rushes beneath the bridge; the sunlight reflects off the water and onto the bridge’s supports; and the flora growing along the riverbanks create the most amazing view.
When you approach the Ponte Vecchio from the side of the Arno with the Duomo, the transition from land to bridge is so seamless that you don’t notice that you’re halfway across the river until you reach the lookout points.
The bridge is built so solidly and is old enough that it blends in perfectly with all the historic buildings near it, the Ponte Vecchio is more than a connection between land – it’s an extension of the land itself.
This is reflected even more in the fact that the shops on the Ponte Vecchio grew outward, not inward. Because the shops couldn’t cut into the street space, they extend outward, propped up by wooden supports as they hang out over the water.
It’s sort of scary when you think about all the weight of the gold and the fact that the shops are only two-thirds of the way on solid bridge ground, but it’s an extremely interesting sight.
The view of the Ponte Vecchio from the side looks like a pop-up greeting card.
“I didn’t realize that is was bridge now,” Rachel, from New York, said. “I just followed the crowd here.”
And yes, that’s possible. There is always an intense crowd from the Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio around May and June. It’s peach tourist season, and those are the top two (free) sites to see. (The road connecting the two is equally bad, keep a hand on your bag to prevent pickpockets from grabbing your wallet.)
Now, about those shops.
Historically, the Ponte Vecchio served as a place for butchers and other unpleasantly smelling shops gathered.
However, the Medici family decided that walking around on the streets was too dangerous, so they built themselves an elevated walkway from Pitti Palace – where they lived – to the Palazzo Vecchio – where they ruled over Florence.
This walkway is still visible on one side of the Ponte Vecchio. It’s also why there is a small covered area on one side of the bridge leading to the Ufizi Gallery (which was owned by the Medici family).
Reportedly, the family did not like the stench that wafted up from the bridge below them. So, they ordered for the butchers to leave and for a more class-appropriate trade to set up shop on the bridge.
Hence: the Ponte Vecchio is a gold (and silver) jewelry Mecca.
Tourists flock to the bridge by the dozen to window shop the bridge and think about buying someone a gold present (but not actually buying it because the gold is real and real gold is expensive).
One of the most interesting logistics that the stores deal with is security after they close. All that expensive gold must make an easy target for criminals, right?
But all the stores have heavy wooden doors and plank covering up their windows and doors, so only the owners can access the stores while they’re closed for the night.
It’s also interesting because the bridge becomes a spot for nightlife by about 8:30 p.m. If you decide to cross the bridge later at night, you’ll get to experience a less crowded bridge along with a person playing live music right on the bridge near the lookout area.
The view from the bridge is incredible too. On either side of the Ponte Vecchio you can gaze out onto the next bridge over and see people crossing from one side of Florence to the other.
Even more incredible is the view of the Ponte Vecchio from one of those other bridges. It’s the only way to be able to fit the whole Ponte Vecchio into your picture and not have to deal with weird foreshortening problems.
And it takes your breath away. The Ponte Vecchio, like many other buildings in Florence, is mostly yellow. While there are a few more coral accent buildings, the Ponte Vecchio is a microcosm of Florence.