Bridges

There was a bridge over the River Arno not far from the modern-day Ponte Vecchio as early as Roman times. As of the 10th century, there is documentary evidence of further bridge constructions at this narrowest point of the river, until the Ponte Vecchio with its characteristic rows of shops was built in 1345. As the construction of the Uffizi as an administrative building for the grand dukes began under the management of Giorgio Vasari in 1560, the bridge was also affected by the building work. The connecting passage between the Uffizi and the residence of the grand duke in the Palazzo Pitti, known as the “Corridoio Vasariano”, goes directly over the Ponte Vecchio. The path of this passage is clearly visible on the plate by Alexandre Leblanc, which reproduces the view from the upper storey of the Uffizi over the “Corridoio” and the bridge. The Ponte alle Grazie is even older than the Ponte Vecchio. Located upstream of the Ponte Vecchio, this bridge was built during the 13th century. A miraculous Madonna figure, which was preserved in one of the houses on the bridge, gave it its name. The bridge was destroyed during the Second World War and reconstructed in a different form after the war. This makes our views of the bridge particularly interesting because they portray the original state. With its seven solid piers, the original bridge was a stark contrast to the graceful appearance of the Ponte S. Trinita on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio, built by Bartolomeo Ammanati between 1567 and 1570 for Cosimo I. de’ Medici and reproduced in our final two engravings.