Italy 1943–1945
Ponte Vecchio and the demolished quarter, Florence
Historic bridge
The story
The only Florentine bridge the Germans did not blow on the night of 3–4 August 1944. Popular memory credits Hitler; historians note the Germans chose instead to block it by demolishing the medieval streets at both ends. Today's shops and flats along Por Santa Maria, Borgo San Jacopo and Via Guicciardini are post-war reconstructions on the rubble line.
What to look for
From the bridge, look downstream to Ponte Santa Trinita, rebuilt in 1958 from stones raised from the Arno; the head of its Primavera statue was found in 1961.
Plan your visit
Always open; very crowded from late morning, so come early or at dusk. Pedestrian zone: park at a peripheral car park or use the tram.
Nearby sites
- Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria, Florence · under 1 km
- Florence War Cemetery, Girone · 7 km
- Florence American Cemetery, Tavarnuzze · 9 km
- MuGot — Museo Gotica Toscana, Ponzalla · 30 km
- Brazilian Votive Monument, Pistoia · 32 km
- Il Giogo Pass and Monte Altuzzo · 33 km
All 96 sites in Italy 1943–1945 →
Into Europe: Italy 1943–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The places of the Allied campaign in Italy, from the Sicily landings of July 1943 through Salerno, the Winter Line, Ortona, Cassino and Anzio, Rome, the Gothic Line and the final battles on the Senio and the Po in April 1945.
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