One of Italy‘s most well-known bridges that has survived allied bombs, devastating floods and 700 years of visitors is set for a makeover.
With the Arno river flowing below, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence is a medieval crossing famed for its stunning arches and the shops – today mostly occupied by jewellers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers – built along its top.
It was the only bridge in Florence that was spared destruction during the Second World War, and is built on the site of an even more ancient Roman bridge.
Thousands walk over the 100-foot bridge every day, with the millions of tourists who flock to Florence regularly stopping to take selfies.
It is little surprise then that the ancient river crossing is in need of some tender loving care, which will be carried out without the city closing the bridge.
Ponte Vecchio – one of Italy ‘s most well-known bridges that has survived allied bombs, devastating floods and 700 years of visitors – is set for a makeover
In a £2 million project starting this autumn and lasting until 2026, its arches, paving stones, parapets and wing walls will be restored to their original grandeur.
Ponte Vecchio’s cracks will be filled in, moss and weeds will be removed, and its grout will be replaced, according to The Times.
Two roman bridges in the same spot – which crosses the Arno at its narrowest point in Florence – were swept away by floods.
The structure as it is known today was completed in 1345, with its shops first occupied by butchers, tanners, and farmers.
Such merchants were dismissed in 1565 by Cosimo I de’ Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany at the time, in favour of jewellers and goldsmiths.
Along with the domed roof of Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the bridge is one of Florence’s most famous icons, admired by writers and artists over hundreds of years.
DH Lawrence set his 1923 poem ‘Bat’ on Ponte Vecchio, and Italian composer Giacomo Puccini featured the structure in his opera Gianni Schicchi.
Composed between 1917 and 1918, the comic opera sees damsel Lauretta threaten to jump from the crossing into the river Arno below.
In a £2 million project starting this autumn and lasting until 2026, Ponte Vecchio’s arches, paving stones, parapets and wing walls will be restored to their original grandeur
Pictured: A colourised picture of damage around the Ponte Vecchio bridge on the River Arno, in Florence, Italy during the Second World War
Damaged shops on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence after the Arno river burst its banks in 1966
During the Second World War, Ponte Vecchio was the only of Florence’s bridges not to be blown up by the Nazis, and was spared falling allied bombs. Hitler is believed to have demanded the architectural icon be spared, according to some historians.
It also survived the 1966 flood of the Arno, although it was severely damaged.
The expected completion date of 2026 will mark 60 years since the floods.
The makeover of the bridge will be carried out without the need to close it, allowing shopkeepers to continue their work and tourists to flow, Florence’s mayor Dario Nardella told The Times on Friday.
Much of the work will be carried out from a pontoon positioned below the Ponte Vecchio during spring and summer, when the Arno’s waters are more calm.
The work will be part funded by the city’s council, with aristocratic Florentine winemaking family Marchesi Antinori also agreeing to sponsor the renovation.
‘Our family history has always been inextricably linked to Florence since the 13th century,’ Piero Antinori, honorary president of Marchesi Antinori, told The Florentine.
‘The city has given us so much over the centuries, which is why it is a pleasure for us to be able to be part of this important project.’
Much of the work will be carried out from a pontoon positioned below the Ponte Vecchio during spring and summer, when the Arno’s waters are more calm
‘For the first time in its long history, the Ponte Vecchio will undergo a complex restoration operation,’ mayor Nardella added.
‘The bridge doesn’t have any stability issues (it’s secure and anchored), but it does suffer from the usual problems linked with being outdoors, open to the elements and the ebbs and flows of the river,’ he explained.
‘This is a historic project because the Ponte Vecchio has never undergone a restoration with this level of technical complexity.
‘When it’s finished, we will have an even more beautiful bridge than before.’
