Ponte Vecchio

Description:

• You can't miss the most recognizable landmark of Florence, the Ponte Vecchio.  Constructed in 1345, the Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge still standing in Florence, hence the name.  The multicolored structure bridge was first home to butcher shops. As the noble bankers would cross the Arno river to their offices, there was a rancid smell of pigs blood and rotted meat which extremely offended them.  In an effort to improve the area, the Medici stepped in and ordered the lower class shopkeepers out and moved goldsmiths and diamond-cutters in. Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge that escaped the bombing by the Germans in WWII.  Today, now a pedestrian bridge, the shops shimmer and shine with necklaces, rings and charms of the most expensive kind.  Tourists can enjoy an early morning walk over the bridge before the shops open or at sunset where lovers stare at the horizon as musicians sing and be merry.
  
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