Ponte Vecchio

The Ponte Vecchio, in Florence

The Ponte Vecchio is the most famous bridge of Florence, lined with goldsmiths' shops suspended above the Arno. The Florence audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this monument unique in the world, the only bridge of the town spared by the war.

The bridge with the goldsmiths' shops

The Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge, is the oldest and most famous bridge of Florence, which crosses the Arno at the place where the river is narrowest. Its particularity unique in the world lies in the shops that line it, hung on each side and suspended above the water. Since the Middle Ages, businesses have settled there: first butchers, then, from the sixteenth century, goldsmiths and jewellers, who still today occupy these picturesque stalls, making the bridge a dazzling showcase of jewels and gold. Above the shops runs the Vasari Corridor, a secret passage that allowed the Medici to link the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace without mixing with the crowd. The Ponte Vecchio was, during the Second World War, the only bridge of Florence spared from the destructions. A symbol and a postcard of the town, the Ponte Vecchio is a must-see stop of Florence.

What to see

Here you wander on the oldest and most famous bridge of Florence, lined with goldsmiths' and jewellers' shops suspended above the Arno, heirs of the butchers of the Middle Ages, surmounted by the Vasari Corridor that linked the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace, the only bridge of the town spared by the Second World War. The Ponte Vecchio is a symbol of Florence. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Ponte Vecchio crosses the Arno in the heart of Florence, reachable on foot. It is a public bridge freely accessible, very busy; the goldsmiths' shops have their own hours. The view and the light are particularly beautiful at sunset, from the bridge or the neighbouring bridges.

Why is the Ponte Vecchio of Florence unique?

Because it is lined with shops suspended above the Arno, occupied since the sixteenth century by goldsmiths and jewellers, and surmounted by the Vasari Corridor; it was the only bridge of Florence spared during the Second World War.

Where is the Ponte Vecchio?

On the Arno, in the heart of Florence, in Italy.