Florence - Ponte Vecchio & Fontana del Porcellina
Day 11, 12 & 13 - Explore Florence
Everything in Florence has a history, including this boar which is on display in the Uffizi Museum. Cosimo ll had a bronze copy made in 1612. He had it transformed into a fountain and placed it in the Loggia of the new market near Ponte Vecchio where it provided water for the merchants. A tradition began of trying to slide a coin down Porcellina's throat while making a wish. Tourists are told that simply rubbing the snout will assure a return to Florence.
Ponte Vecchio - Old Bridge
"Dante was standing near the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that crosses the Arno River in Florence. It was just before 1300. Dante saw Beatrice standing on the bridge. He was a young man, she even younger, and that vision contained the whole of eternity for him. Dante did not speak to her and saw her very little. And then Beatrice died, carried off by plague. Dante was stricken with the loss of his vision. She was the connection between his soul and Heaven itself, and from it the Divine Comedy was born.
Six hundred fifty years later, during World War II, the Americans were chasing the German army up the Italian Peninsula. The Germans were blowing up everything that aided the progression of the American army, including the bridges across the Arno River. But no one would blow up the Ponte Vecchio because Beatrice had stood on it and Dante had written about her. So the German commandant made radio contact with the Americans to say they would leave the Ponte Vecchio intact if the Americans would not use it. The promise was held. The bridge was not blown up, and not one American soldier or piece of equipment went across it. The bridge was spared because Beatrice had stood upon it." from "Inner Gold" by Robert A. Johnson
The history of Ponte Vecchio dates back to Roman times when the ancient Via Cassia, an important Roman road, was given a crossing over the narrowest point of the River Arno. The first few bridges, even a stone one, were swept away by disastrous floodwaters of the Arno. A new structure, begun in 1345, formed the basis for the bridge we see today. In the 13thC the local government began renting shop space on the bridge to artisans and merchants. Later, the spaces were sold to private owners who wanted to expand. Not being allowed to build on the pavement, the additions were extended over the river. Held up by slender wooden stakes, they appeared to be suspended in mid-air. By the 1400's, groups of rowdy grocers, butchers and fishmongers had taken up shop and were throwing their smelly garbage into the Arno. Grand Duke Ferdinand I eventually evicted them and brought in goldsmiths and silversmiths whose jewels and gold were much more enticing to the nobility and foreign visitors.
Another ingenious development of Ponte Vecchio was the Vasari Corridor. Commissioned by Cosimo l de' Medici, it is a passageway built above the shops that provided the royal family private access from the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace, his second residence across the river.
The Pitti Palace
Built late 15thC, it was the official residence of the de'Medici family.
It now houses several museums.
Fontana del Porcellina
The Pitti Palace
Built late 15thC, it was the official residence of the de'Medici family.
It now houses several museums.
Fontana del Porcellina
Photo credits in order:
Interesting blog, it reminds me of Arno River, it crosses Florence, and passes below the Ponte Vecchio, the Ponte alle Grazie and the Santa Trinita bridge.
ReplyDeleteI tried to write a blog about it, hope you also like: http://stenote.blogspot.com/2018/01/florence-along-arno-river.html