Ponte
Vecchio
The lazy mud-colored Arno river slides softly under
the famous covered bridge, Ponte Vecchio (literally Old
Bridge).
And indeed it is old, dating back
to the fourteenth century. The only bridge in the city not
destroyed by bombing in WWII, it used to be home to butcher
shops or tanneries (depending on whom you ask), where blood
could conveniently drain strait into the river.
It's said the Grand Duke instigated
the change from butchers to goldsmiths, so as not to offend
his tender nose, when passing above in his corridor.
Now only tourists' wallets get
drained when they buy the expensive jewelry there. |
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The marvelous view above was captured from high up in
the Uffizi. The covered corridor that spans the top
of the Ponte Vecchio was built by Giorgio Vasari in 1564,
to facilitate travel by the Medici Grand Duke from his home
in the Pitti Palace to his workplace across the river in the
Uffizi. (The corridor actually extends much further, through
the center of the city to the Palazzo Vecchio, and has been
opened to the public, but only by appointment.)
The word "uffizi" is Italian for "offices,"
which was its original function. It seems somehow
so Italian to me to turn an office building into a house for
art.
Finished with the galleries, for the price of
a good cappuccino I rested my feet in the Uffizi cafe's outdoor
balcony. Caffinated and rejuvenated, I hit the streets
again, headed for the Science Museum.
Walking along the river, I noticed the dozens
of scooters parked there, some unusual makes and models, with
designs and colors I had never seen before. Back home,
motor scooters are strictly kid's toys, but in Italy
I saw men with slicked back hair in business suits with briefcases,
and grannies in house dresses and kerchiefs with market baskets,
all nimbly navigating the tricky traffic. They had
to be skilled--no one was wearing a helmet.
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