Florence › Places and landmarks
Ponte Vecchio
The bridge of goldsmiths over the Arno, the only one the retreating Germans left standing in 1944.
The Ponte Vecchio was rebuilt in stone in 1345 after a flood, with shops along both sides. In 1593 the Medici threw out the butchers and tanners and put goldsmiths in their place.
Above the shops runs the Vasari Corridor, built so the Medici could walk from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti without going outside. In 1944 the retreating Germans blew up every other bridge in Florence and spared this one.
More in Florence
DuomoFlorence’s cathedral, crowned by Brunelleschi’s dome, still the largest brick dome ever built.
Giotto’s Bell TowerThe slender bell tower beside the cathedral, clad in white, green and pink marble.
BaptisteryThe octagonal baptistery with Ghiberti’s bronze doors, which Michelangelo called the Gates of Paradise.
Piazza della SignoriaThe square of the Palazzo Vecchio, with a copy of Michelangelo’s David at its door.
Palazzo VecchioFlorence’s fortress-like town hall since 1299, with its tall tower off to one side.
Loggia dei LanziAn open arcade on the square, full of statues, among them Cellini’s Perseus with the head of Medusa.
UffiziThe Medici’s offices turned into one of the world’s great museums, with Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.
Piazza della RepubblicaWhere the Roman forum was, now a square with a carousel and old cafés under a triumphal arch.
Santa CroceThe great Franciscan church where Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli are buried.
Santa Maria NovellaThe Dominican church with its white and green marble front by Alberti, by the station that bears its name.
Il PorcellinoThe bronze boar at the Mercato Nuovo: rub its nose and you will come back to Florence.
Bistecca alla fiorentinaA huge T-bone steak, grilled over coals and served rare, by the kilo.