Bridges and Arno Views

The Porta San Niccolò stands as a massive, standalone stone tower at the edge of the Arno River. It once served as the southern gate in the fourteenth-century defensive wall of Florence. While the other city gates were lowered or…

The Ponte alle Grazie spans the Arno River with a sharp, angular profile that separates it from the graceful, rounded arches of the nearby Ponte Vecchio. It replaced a thirteenth century structure that originally held small chapels and…

The Lungarno Torrigiani stretches along the southern bank of the Arno River, marked by a distinct row of nineteenth century palazzi with heavy, rusticated stone bases. This riverside stretch owes its name to the Torrigiani family, who…

The Torre dei Mannelli rises as a jagged, stone sentinel at the southern end of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. While other towers fell to demolition or war, this one survived because the Mannelli family refused to abandon it. When Giorgio…

The Ponte Vecchio spans the Arno River with three segmented stone arches that support rows of projecting shops. Originally, butchers occupied these stalls because the river washed their waste away, keeping the city streets clean. In…

The Ponte Santa Trinita spans the Arno River with three distinct, elliptical arches that curve into elegant, flattened points. Bartolomeo Ammannati designed this bridge in the late sixteenth century, guided by sketches from Michelangelo.…

The Ponte alla Carraia spans the Arno River with three distinct, shallow stone arches that sit lower to the water than its neighbors. In thirteen oh four, the bridge hosted a festival where a massive crowd gathered to watch a theatrical…