Photos

Taken through the window in the third floor of Uffizi, the museum housing some of the art treasures of the world. The Ponte Vecchio or "Old Bridge"is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. It has been described as Europe's oldest wholly-stone, closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge, but there are far older segmental arch bridges such as Alconétar Bridge. The Ponte Vecchio's two neighbouring bridges are the Ponte Santa Trinità and the Ponte alle Grazie.

On the right side of this photo is Vasari's coridor. In order to connect the Palazzo Vecchio (Florence's town hall) with the Palazzo Pitti, in 1565 Cosimo I de Medici had Giorgio Vasari build the famous Vasari Corridor above it.[3] To enforce the prestige of the bridge, in 1593 the Medici Grand Dukes prohibited butchers from selling there; their place was immediately taken by several gold merchants. The corporative association of butchers had monopolised the shops on the bridge since 1442. A stone with an inscription from Dante (Paradiso xvi. 140-7) records the spot at the entrance to the bridge where Buondelmonte de' Buondelmonti was murdered on behalf of the Amidei, in 1215, initiating the urban fighting of the Guelfs and Ghibellines. Wikipedia.

Located on the Arno River in Tuscany, Florence (Firenze in Italian) is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance that spread throughout the western world. Today, millions of visitors flock to Florence to enjoy its fine art and architecture, while about 400,000 people make it their home. Florence abounds in beautiful sacred art and religious buildings. Among the most famous are the Duomo, with its distinctive dome designed by Brunelleschi, Michaelangelo's sculpture of David in the Galleria d'Accademia, and the Baptistery with its elaborate bronze doors by Ghiberti.