Ponte Vecchio

— Florence is a magical place. Walking around its streets is a live history lesson. Within blocks from each other, a visitor can see the Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Pitti, the Galleria dell’Accademia, the Boboli Gardens and literally dozens of statues of David. One of the most magnificent sites is from the overlook at the Piazzale Michelangelo. A panoramic view of Florence lies before your eyes from that location giving you a glimpse of several of those places I listed above. It is at this piazza that one can see a bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David. It was from this piazza that I made the photo above. The tranquil Arno River provided this beautiful reflection of the Ponte Vecchio and also allowed us to see other bridges, including the Ponte Santa Trinita right behind the Ponte Vecchio (“old bridge” in Italian). This old medieval stone bridge still has some shops along it. The butchers that used to occupy those shops are long gone, having been replaced with stores that sell jewelry and souvenirs, among other things. It is interesting to note, as we are told when we visited Florence, that during World War II, the Germans did not destroy that bridge, unlike other bridges.