Florence: Ponte Vecchio, River Arno & Piazzale Michelangelo

Hi and welcome.

This post is a walk along the River Arno from Ponte Vecchio. Then, after a bus ride up the hill, the view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo. The weather truly cooperated and the afternoon light was stunning as it bathed Florence, enhancing its stunning architectural beauty.

I love this city. If you haven't been there, I hope these photos will convince you to go.

The river Arno is 241 Km long. It originates in
the Appenines and flows into the Ligurian Sea
at Marina di Pisa















The last big flood was in 1966. Part of the
embankment collapsed killing 40 people and
destroying works of art and rare books
















New dams that have been built upriver have
greatly alleviated the problem of flooding.
You can see the Ponte a Santa Trinita,
first built in 1252
















Che bello il Lungarno!
















You can see how close the Duomo (Cathedral)
is to the river. This is the Ponte alla Carraia,
first built in 1218, it has had a colourful history
of collapses and being blown up by the Nazis.
What we can see now was rebuilt in 1948
















Looking down river from the famous Ponte
Vecchio
















Not many rivers are blue!













And here is the medieval Ponte Vecchio
(Old Bridge). It is alleged that Hitler gave
an explicit order not to destroy the bridge
during the Nazi withdrawal. All the others
were
















The shops along the bridge were originally
butchers shops. Now they are jewellers,
art dealers and souvenir sellers
















This is the narrowest point of the Arno. The
bridge first appears in a document of 996.
It was swept away on two occasions and the
present structure was built in 1345












Looking towards the source
















Looking towards the sea
















Fills this Libran with great pleasure!
















The weir across the river






















The neoclassic Chuch of San
Frediano in Cestello.
It was built in 1450













In between the "palazzi" is the Chiesa di Ognissanti
(All-Saints Church). Ognissanti was among the first
examples of Baroque architecture to appear in
Renaissance Florence
















And now panoramic views of Florence and the
Arno valley from Piazzale Michelangelo which
was designed in 1869 by Florentine architect
Giuseppe Poggi
















The river Arno making its way from the
mountains into Florence
















The Basilica di Santa Croce. It is the largest
Franciscan Church in the World
















The Synagogue of Florence was built between
1872-72 for the Sephardic Jewish community
of the city
















Il Duomo as seen in so many postcards!






















The vertical shot
















The site of the Basilica di Sante Croce when first
chosen, was in marshland outside the city walls.
It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious
Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli,
Foscolo, Gentile and Rossini, thus it is known also
as the Temple of the Italian Glories






















Ponte Vecchio is the first bridge.
Classic view of the river as it makes
its way to Pisa















A final view of Florence with the Duomo and
Palazzo Vecchio rising above the city.
Next time, the North Tuscan countryside