The goldsmiths' bridge and the secret passage of the Medici
The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in Florence and the only one the retreating Germans spared in 1944. Its shops hanging over the Arno once belonged to butchers and tanners; in 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I replaced them with goldsmiths and jewellers, who are still there today.
Above the shops runs the Vasari Corridor, a kilometre-long covered passage built in 1565 so that the Medici could walk from Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti without mixing with the crowd. After a long restoration it reopened in 2024 and can be visited with a dedicated ticket from the Uffizi.
Tip: the most beautiful view of the bridge is at sunset from the Ponte Santa Trinita, just downstream.
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