# Ponte Vecchio, Florence > The Ponte Vecchio, the "Old Bridge", is Florence's emblem: a 14th-century stone bridge over the Arno lined with colourful little shop-houses hanging over the water. Goldsmiths have worked here for centuries, and the Vasari Corridor runs along the top, linking the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti. It's free and always open; sunset is the best time. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio - City: [Florence](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence), Italy - YesGo score: 60/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 20 min - Opening hours: Open 24 hours; shops by day - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free, 24 hours - Built: 1345 - Shops: Jewellers and goldsmiths, by day - Above: The Vasari Corridor — Uffizi to Palazzo Pitti - Best view: From the Ponte Santa Trinita at sunset - Time needed: 15–20 minutes - Coordinates: 43.76799, 11.25319 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1345** — the present stone bridge was built (source: English Wikipedia) - **3 arches** — shallow spans, innovative for the time (source: English Wikipedia) - **1593** — Ferdinando I replaced butchers with goldsmiths (source: English Wikipedia) - **1565** — the Vasari Corridor was built over the bridge (source: English Wikipedia) - **Cellini** — the goldsmith-sculptor's bust has stood mid-bridge since 1900 (source: English Wikipedia) ## A short history A bridge crossed the Arno here in Roman times, but floods repeatedly swept wooden and stone crossings away. The present **stone bridge** went up in **1345**, attributed to Taddeo Gaddi or Neri di Fioravanti. Its **three shallow arches** — lighter and stronger than tall semicircles — were an innovation, and it has stood for over six centuries. At first **butchers, tanners and fishmongers** traded here, tossing waste into the river. In **1593** Grand Duke **Ferdinando I de' Medici** decided the smell was unfitting beneath the corridor he used to reach his palace, and allowed only **goldsmiths and jewellers** — and the Ponte Vecchio has been a street of gold ever since. ## The shops and the Vasari Corridor Little **shop-houses** line the bridge, many jutting over the water on wooden brackets as each owner extended his workshop. At night they close behind wooden shutters like chests; inside, windows glitter with gold, silver, watches and jewellery, some workshops run by the same families for generations. Along the top of the eastern side runs the **Vasari Corridor**, the covered passage Giorgio Vasari built in **1565** so the Medici could walk from the Palazzo Vecchio through the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti without going outside; its small round windows are easy to spot from the quay. ## What to see - **Shop-houses over the water** — with wooden shutters. - **Jewellers' windows** — gold, silver and watches. - **Bust of Benvenuto Cellini** — mid-bridge. - **Vasari Corridor windows** — above the east side. - **The Arno view** — from the central terrace. - **Ponte Santa Trinita** — the best view of the Ponte Vecchio. > **Where to look from** The Ponte Vecchio is best seen from the side: from the neighbouring Ponte Santa Trinita to the west, from the quay by the Uffizi and from the Uffizi corridor window. The loveliest times are sunset, when the houses and river turn gold, and the blue hour as the lights come on. ## Legends and locks Legend says the word "bankrupt" was born on bridges like this: when a trader couldn't pay his debts, guards broke his counter — his banco — leaving him with a banca rotta, a broken bench. Historians doubt it, but guides love the story. Mid-bridge stands a bust of **Benvenuto Cellini**, the Florentine goldsmith and sculptor of the Perseus. Lovers used to lock padlocks to the railing around it, but that's now banned and fined, as the locks damage the monument — take a photo of the river instead. ## How to get there 1. From the [Uffizi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi) and [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria), 3–5 minutes on foot. 2. From [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral), 10 minutes along Via Por Santa Maria. 3. On the far bank, the street to [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti), 5 minutes. 4. From Santa Maria Novella station, 15 minutes on foot. ## Is the Ponte Vecchio worth it? Yes — it's one of Italy's classic postcards, and you'll cross it anyway on the way to the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens. It's crowded by day, so come early or in the evening. Even without buying, the jewellers' windows are fun, and the view from mid-bridge over the Arno and hills is one of the city's best. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Come at sunset or early morning - [ ] View it from the Ponte Santa Trinita - [ ] Find Cellini's bust - [ ] No padlocks — they're fined - [ ] Walk on to the Palazzo Pitti ## Views in Florence: compare and choose Viewpoints in Florence rated by YesGo. - [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free - [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Free; dome paid - [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free - [Palazzo Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-vecchio) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Courtyard free, museum paid - [Vasari Corridor](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/vasari-corridor) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid, timed entry - [San Miniato al Monte](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-miniato) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Piazzale Michelangelo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazzale-michelangelo) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Giotto's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/giottos-campanile) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Combined cathedral pass - [Boboli Gardens](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/boboli-gardens) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Paid - [Fiesole](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/fiesole) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Town free, ruins paid ## From the Signoria to the Pitti Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi, the Vasari Corridor and Ponte Vecchio, then Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. 1. [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free 2. [Uffizi Gallery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · Paid 3. [Vasari Corridor](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/vasari-corridor) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid, timed entry 4. [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free 5. [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid ## Don't mix it up The Ponte Vecchio isn't Venice's Rialto, though both carry shops. Florence's crosses the Arno, with three arches and goldsmiths. ## Tips - View it from the Ponte Santa Trinita. - Golden light at sunset. - No padlocks allowed. - The Palazzo Pitti is next. ## Questions ### When was the Ponte Vecchio built? The present stone bridge in 1345. ### Why are there jewellers on the Ponte Vecchio? In 1593 Ferdinando I de' Medici replaced the butchers with goldsmiths, and the tradition stuck. ### What is the corridor above the bridge? The Vasari Corridor of 1565, linking the Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi with the Palazzo Pitti. ### Where's the best view of the Ponte Vecchio? From the Ponte Santa Trinita and the quay by the Uffizi, especially at sunset. ### Is the Ponte Vecchio free? Yes, it's free and open 24 hours. ## How we checked History and description from English Wikipedia. Shop hours vary — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Ponte Vecchio; Vasari Corridor --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.