Ponte Vecchio: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox bridge |
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|bridge_name = Ponte Vecchio |
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|image = Italy and Greece 105.jpg |
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|caption = View of the Ponte Vecchio from above |
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|official_name = |
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|carries = |
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|crosses = [[Arno River]] |
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|locale = [[Florence, Italy|Florence]], Italy |
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|maint = |
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|id = |
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|design = closed-[[spandrel]] segmental stone [[arch bridge]] |
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|mainspan = {{convert|30|m}} |
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|length = |
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|width = {{convert|32|m}} |
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|height = |
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|load = |
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|clearance = |
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|below = |
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|traffic = |
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|begin = |
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|complete = |
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|open = |
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|closed = |
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|toll = |
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|map_cue = |
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|map_image = |
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|map_text = |
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|map_width = |
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|coordinates = {{Coord|43|46|4.76|N|11|15|11.49|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} |
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|extra = {{Location map | Italy |
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|label = |
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|label_size = |
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|alt = |
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|position = right |
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|background = |
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|lon_dir=E |
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|lat_dir=N |
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|lat_deg = 43 |
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|lat_min = 46 |
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|lat_sec = 5 |
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|lon_deg = 11 |
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|lon_min = 15 |
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|lon_sec = 11 |
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|lat = |
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|long = |
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|mark = |
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|marksize = |
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|border = none |
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|float = |
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|width = 250 |
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|caption = <!-- blank --> |
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}} |
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}} |
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The '''Ponte Vecchio''' ("Old Bridge", {{IPA-it|ˈponte ˈvɛkkjo}})<ref name=pv>{{cite book | year=2007 | title=Ponte Vecchio | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dizionario.rai.it/poplemma.aspx?lid=29221&r=973 | title=Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia | publisher=Rai | language=Italian |accessdate=2010-02-24}}</ref> is a [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] stone closed-[[spandrel]] [[Circular segment|segmental]] [[arch bridge]] over the [[Arno River]], in [[Florence, Italy|Florence]], Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. The Ponte Vecchio's two neighbouring bridges are the [[Ponte Santa Trinita]] and the [[Ponte alle Grazie]]. |
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==History and construction== |
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[[Image:Ponte Vecchio at Sunset.jpg|thumb|View from Michelangelo Park]]The bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point<ref name="tci">Touring Club Italiano, ''Firenze e dintorni'' 1964:321</ref> where it is believed that a bridge was first built in [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times,<ref name=arch>{{cite book | first=Guido | last=Zucconi | year= 1995| title=Florence: An Architectural Guide | publisher=Arsenale Editrice srl | location=San Giovanni Lupatoto, Vr, Italy | isbn=88-7743-147-4}}</ref> when the [[via Cassia]] crossed the river at this point.<ref name="tci"/> The Roman piers were of stone, the superstructure of wood. The bridge first appears in a document of 996.<ref name="tci"/> After being destroyed by a [[flood]] in 1117 it was reconstructed in stone but swept away again in 1333<ref name=arch/> save two of its central piers, as noted by [[Giovanni Villani]] in his ''[[Nuova Cronica]]''.<ref>Bartlett, Kenneth R. (1992). ''The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance''. Toronto: D.C. Heath and Company. ISBN 0-669-20900-7 (Paperback). Page 40.</ref> It was rebuilt in 1345,<ref>{{cite book | first=Michele G | last=Melaragno | year=1998 | title=Preliminary Design of Bridges for Architects and Engineers | publisher=Marcel Dekker | isbn=0-8247-0184-4 | pages=3}}</ref> [[Giorgio Vasari]] recorded the tradition in his day, that attributed its design to [[Taddeo Gaddi]],<ref name="pv"/> besides Giotto one of the few artistic names of the [[trecento]] still recalled two hundred years later. Modern historians present [[Neri di Fioravanti]] as a possible candidate.<ref name="tci"/> Sheltered in a little loggia at the central opening of the bridge is a weathered dedication stone, which once read ''Nel trentatrè dopo il mille-trecento, il ponte cadde, per diluvio dell' acque: poi dieci anni, come al Comun piacque, rifatto fu con questo adornamento''.<ref>Translated it would read, "In the thirty-third year following thirteen hundred, the bridge fell, from a watery flood: ten years later, at the pleasure of the Commune, it was rebuilt, with this adornment". (Touring Club Italiano, ''Firenze e dintorni'' 1964:321)</ref> The [[Torre dei Mannelli]] was built at the southeast corner of the bridge to defend it. |
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The bridge consists of three segmental arches: the main arch has a span of 30 meters (98 ft) the two side arches each span 27 meters (88 ft). The rise of the arches is between 3.5 and 4.4 meters (11½ to 14½ feet), and the span-to-rise ratio 5:1.<ref name="structurae">{{Structurae|id=s0000472|title=Ponte Vecchio}}. Retrieved on 2007-02-16</ref> |
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It has always hosted shops and merchants <!--a source should be easily found, or this is no legend:(legend says this was originally due to a tax exemption),--> who displayed their goods on tables before their premises, after authorization of the [[Bargello]] (a sort of a lord mayor, a magistrate and a police authority). The back shops (''retrobotteghe'') that may be seen from upriver, were added in the seventeenth century.<ref name="tci"/> |
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It is said that the economic concept of [[bankruptcy]] originated here: when a merchant could not pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") by soldiers, and this practice was called "bancorotto" (broken table; possibly it can come from "banca rotta" which means "broken bank"). Not having a table anymore, the merchant was not able to sell anything.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary, it gives the origin as from the Italian ''banca rotta'' "'''broken bench'''", but not specifically from this bridge.'' online, '[http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/bankrupt?view=uk]'.</ref><ref>''Dictionary.com, an Ask.com Service, it gives the origin as from the Italin ''Banca Rotta'' "'''broken moneylenders bench'''", and is first recorded in 1552. It does not specifically link it with this bridge'', '[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bankrupt]'.</ref><!--nothing to connect this old tale with the Ponte Vecchio's merchants--> |
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During [[World War II]], the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by Germans during their retreat of August 4, 1944, unlike all other bridges in Florence.<ref>''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' online, '[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/469701/Ponte-Vecchio Ponte Vecchio]'.</ref><ref>{{cite book | first=Gene | last=Brucker | year=1983 | title=Renaissance Florence | publisher=University of California Press | isbn=0-520-04695-1 | pages=8}}</ref> This was allegedly, according to many locals and tour guides, because of an express order by [[Hitler]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Rumour has it... Hitler and the Ponte Vecchio|url=http://www.timetravelturtle.com/2012/04/ponte-vecchio-florence-hitler/|publisher=Time Travel Turtle|accessdate=20 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A history of the Ponte Vecchio, Florence|url=http://www.holiday-velvet.com/guide/2009/11/florence-ponte-vecchio-history/|publisher=Holiday Velvet|accessdate=20 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Florence: Walk with the Medicis over the Ponte Vecchio plebs|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/florence-walk-with-the-medicis-over-the-ponte-vecchio-plebs-768460.html|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=20 November 2012}}</ref> Access to Ponte Vecchio was, however, obstructed by the destruction of the buildings at both ends, which have since been rebuilt using a combination of original and modern design. |
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==Vasari's Corridor== |
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{{Main|Vasari Corridor}} |
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[[File:Vasari Corridor 1.JPG|thumb|Vasari corridor from [[Palazzo Vecchio]] to [[Uffizi]]]] |
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In order to connect the [[Palazzo Vecchio]] (Florence's town hall) with the [[Palazzo Pitti]], in 1565 [[Cosimo I de' Medici]] had [[Giorgio Vasari]] build the [[Vasari Corridor]] above it.<ref name=arch/> To enforce the prestige of the bridge, in 1593 the Medici Grand Dukes prohibited butchers from selling there; their place was immediately taken by several gold merchants. The corporative association of butchers had monopolised the shops on the bridge since 1442. A stone with an inscription from [[Dante]] (''[[Paradiso (Dante)|Paradiso]]'' xvi. 140-7) records the spot at the entrance to the bridge where [[Buondelmonte de' Buondelmonti]] was murdered on behalf of the [[Amidei]], in 1215, initiating the urban fighting of the [[Guelfs and Ghibellines]]. |
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==Recent history== |
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Along the Ponte Vecchio, there can be seen many [[Love padlocks|padlocks]] affixed in various places, especially to the railing around the statue of [[Benvenuto Cellini]].<ref>Sculpted by [[Raffaele Romanelli]] in 1900 (Touring Club Italiano, Firenze e dintorni 1964:321).</ref> This is a recent tradition for the Ponte Vecchio, although it has been practiced in Russia and in Asia before. It was perhaps introduced by the padlock shop owner at the end of the bridge. It is popularly connected to idea of love and lovers: by locking the padlock and throwing the key into the river, the lovers became eternally bonded. This is an example of the negative impact of mass tourism: thousands of padlocks needed to be removed frequently, spoiling or damaging the structure of the centuries-old bridge; however, it seems to have decreased after the city administration put a sign on the bridge mentioning a 160€ penalty for those caught locking something to the fence. |
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There is a similar ongoing padlock phaenomena at [[Ponte Milvio]], due to one of [[Federico Moccia]]'s books. |
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The bridge was severely damaged in the [[1966 Flood of the River Arno in Florence|1966 flood of the Arno]].<ref>[http://expo.khi.fi.it/gallery/the-flood-of-1966/impressions-of-the-city/ponte-vecchio Ponte Vecchio] at web site of the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz</ref> |
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The bridge is mentioned in the aria "[[O mio babbino caro]]". |
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{{wide image|Ponte Vecchio panorama.jpg|800px|<center>Panoramic view of the Ponte Vecchio.</center>}} |
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==Gallery== |
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<gallery> |
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Image:Florence Ponte Vecchio bridge at night.jpg|Florence Ponte Vecchio bridge at night |
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Image:Ponte Vecchio.jpg|View of the Ponte Vecchio at night |
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Image:Ponte Vecchio Firenze 4.JPG|View across the bridge. |
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Image:Firenze 02.jpg|Ponte Vecchio |
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Image:Arno River and Ponte Vecchio, Florence.jpg|Arno River and Ponte Vecchio |
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Image:Firenze 03.jpg|Panorama of Ponte Vecchio |
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File:Fireworks over Ponte Vecchio.JPG|Fireworks |
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</gallery> |
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==See also== |
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*[[Vasari Corridor]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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*[[Banister Fletcher|Fletcher, Banister]]: ''A History of Architecture'' (London: The Butterworth Group, 1987, ISBN 0-408-01587-X) pp. 756–757 |
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*Chiarugi, Andrea, 'Maintenance of the Ponte Vecchio historical bridge in Florence', in ''Extending the Lifespan of Structures'', Vol. 2 (San Francisco: [http://www.iabse.org IABSE] Symposium Report, 1995) pp. 1479–1484 |
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*Graf, Bernhard, ''Bridges that Changed the World'' (Munich, Germany: Prestel, 2002, ISBN 3-7913-2701-1) pp. 38–39 |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons category|Ponte Vecchio}} |
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*[http://www.hotels-rome-italy-hotels.com/florence/ponte-vecchio/ Independent study of Ponte Vecchio with Pictures] |
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* {{structurae|id=s0000472|title=Ponte Vecchio}} |
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*[http://numberonestars.com/travel/ponte_vecchio_florence.htm Ponte Vecchio, Florence] |
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*[http://www.travel-to-florence.com/Ponte-Vecchio.html Ponte Vecchio Overview] |
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*[http://www.florence-guide.it/en/images/virtual-tour/ponte-vecchio Virtual Tour of Ponte Vecchio] |
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{{Florence landmarks}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vecchio}} |
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[[Category:Deck arch bridges]] |
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[[Category:Bridges in Florence]] |
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[[Category:Jewellery districts]] |
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[[Category:Bridges completed in 1345]] |
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[[Category:Shopping districts and streets in Italy]] |
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[[Category:Stone bridges]] |
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[[Category:Visitor attractions in Florence]] |
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