ITL Florence 2
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ROF= Ring of fire journey
ITL= Italy Journey
Monday November 16, 2015
Florence, Italy 2 Ponte Vecchio 3B
Second
day in Florence and ventured out as much as possible. Walked around
some and Downtown to transit plaza- the main train station & central
bus station.
Down past the Doma again. Fascinating just to be near it.
Onto the transit square & got a bus out to Ponte Vecchio, Vecchio Bridge.
Several bridges span the Arno River.
Five to eight story buildings, apartments, condos line the river.
The afternoon sun made a unique reflection on the Arno River.
The
Arno River runs right through the Florence valley. Floods in 1996
overflowed the banks and parts of Florence were under 10 to 20' of
water. A LOT of historical art and archived works were damaged and
destroyed.... some dating back to the Renaissance were irreplaceable and
years of restoration began. Art restoration craftsmen and women came
from around the world and worked several years to restore the art works
they could. Much of the modern restoration techniques used today were
developed from the work after the Arno floods.
Florence
was occupied by the Nazis in WWII. Yeah,... uuuuuhhhh. When the Nazis
were pushed out by the allied British 8th Army and American troops they
blew up/ destroyed every bridge across the Arno to seal up their
retreat.... Except... Ponte Vecchio.
One
of the Mayor/ commissioners appealed to the Nazi General/ Colonel of
the historical significance of Ponte Vecchio historical value. ... so
it was spared demolition. Thank you!!!
This bridge is a work of art. Engineering, yes. Functional, yes. Historical, yes. Thank You for sparing it!
The
1st bridge was built in Roman times as this was the narrowest point on
the Arno River. This stone and masonry bridge was built in 1345.
The
shops now on the bridge are upscale Rolex and Cartier shops of the
modern chic era shops but the bridge has been here since the middle
ages.
We
got some gelato - ice cream- at a shop... Italian gelato is primo, 1st
class... none better in the world! Absolutely none better.
About 3 to 4 blocks north of Ponte Vecchio turn right/ east for a block or 2 to Piazza della Signoria.
You never drink twice from the same stream.
