Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Ponte Vecchio

Florentina was established in Roman times as a settlement for veteran soldiers. The name had changed already when young Charlemagne conquered the town in 774. It became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as the capital. Around 1000 Margrave Hugo chose Florence as residency instead of Lucca. After the death of Matilda of Tuscany (1115), the Florentines formed a republic ruled by a council. The town prospered, despite a constant fight between the different factions and noble families. In the 15th century, Florence was among the largest and wealthiest cities in Europe. This was when the Medici family entered the political scene. As a dynasty of art-loving, power-hungry bankers, they made Florence the birthplace of the Renaissance. The river Arno cuts through the old part of the city. One of the bridges, in particular, stands out – the (Old Bridge), whose most striking feature is the multitude of shops built upon its edges, held up by stilts. The first bridge here was constructed already by the Etruscans, the current bridge was rebuilt after the old bridge was destroyed by flooding in the 14th century. Originally, butchers and tanners were the residents of the bridge. The butchers threw their waste into the Arno, the tanners washed their fabrics. In 1565, however, these were replaced by goldsmiths by decree of Cosimo I de Medici. Even today there are numerous jewelers in the small shops on the bridge. It is the only bridge in the city to have survived WW II intact. It is the first example in the western world of a bridge built using segmental arches, that is, arches less than a semicircle, to reduce both the span-to-rise ratio and the number of pillars to allow lesser encumbrance in the riverbed.

San Miniato al Monte is standing atop one of the highest points in the city of Florence. So the terrace below is the most loved spot for taking wedding photos. Unfortunately for the happy couple the weather was not that brilliant.

Florentina was established in Roman times as a settlement for veteran soldiers. The name had changed already, when young Charlemagne conquered the town in 774. It became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as capital. Around 1000 Margrave Hugo chose Florence as residency instead of Lucca. After the death of Matilda of Tuscany (1115), the Florentines formed a republic was ruled by a council. The town prospered, despite a constant fight between the different factions and noble families. In the 15th century, Florence was among the largest and wealthiest cities in Europe. This was, when the Medici family entered the political scene. As a dynasty of art loving, power hungry bankers, they made Florence the birthplace of the Renaissance. The rain ceased for an hour and so I walked up a hill, to get an overview. Seen here are the "Ponte Vecchio" crossing the Arno (left), the large tower (94m high!) belongs to the "Palazzo Vecchio", today the town hall of Florence. The small dome belongs to the "Basilica di San Lorenzo", the white triangle is the roof of the "Battistero di San Giovanni", next to this with the campanile and the large dome is the "Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore". The small church in front of the cathedral is the "Chiesa di Santa Margherita dei Cerchi"..

The Romans may have had a bridge here, spanning the Arno at its narrowest point. The "Via Cassia" crossed Florentia, a settlement founded 80 BC for veteran soldiers. For sure a bridge existed in 996. This bridge got destroyed by a flood in 1117, rebuilt - and swept away again in 1333. It was rebuilt again in 1345. Shops existed on the bridge already in medieval times (like on many bridges in Europe), but then probably butchers offered their goods here. Meanwhile jewellery and souvenirs are offered to the thousands of tourists, using the Ponte Vecchio every day. Even during a very rainy day! In 1944 the retreating German army destroyed all bridges in Florence - except the Ponte Vecchio!