Ponte Vecchio

Stones used: Green fromArno River, Lapis, Lilla Viola, Rosso Pirenei, Sicilian Jasper

The artist chose to represent the Ponte Vecchio because it is one of the most important icon of the city of Florence. It is an historic bridge over the Arno River and it is truly the oldest bridge in Florence.

The name was given to what was the oldest bridge in Florence at the time the Ponte alla Carraia, then called the "Ponte Nuovo," was built. Beyond its historical significance, the bridge has played a central role in the city's road system over time, beginning when an older bridge at this point (or nearby) connected Roman Florentia with the Via Cassia Nuova, built by Emperor Hadrian in 123 AD.

A little further upstream from the current one, in Roman times, there was a crossing over the Arno, likely a wooden footbridge that connected Florence to the other bank and to the Via Cassia, one of the Roman national roads connecting Florence to Rome.

Damaged several times by floods, it was completely destroyed in 1333 by one of the most disastrous floods in history.

Taddeo Gaddi, the architect who rebuilt it around 1345, designed an innovative bridge: three wide segmental arch spans instead of the five round arches of all other bridges up to that time. This new solution (the first bridge of its kind in Europe) allowed more space for the river to pass, which, in the event of floods, carried all kinds of debris downstream, allowing it to pass more easily under the arches.

The bridge was originally guarded by four towers at the four corners, but today only one remains, the Mannelli Tower.

By order of the municipality, a sundial, a sundial, has been placed above the new Taddeo Gaddi bridge. The sundial consists of a small white marble column, a graduated crescent, and a needle. It's not easy to spot today, but if you're in the middle of the bridge, where the shops end to form a small square, you can look east and look up: you'll see it above one of the shops.

Around the mid-1400s, the Florentine government decided to move the meat and vegetable market to the bridge to keep the streets cleaner. Butchers (or butchers as they were called at the time) and greengrocers could dispose of their waste directly into the Arno River, and it was they who, to have more space, built the small, characteristic shops suspended over the river that later became one of the features that made the bridge famous.

In 1565, on the occasion of the marriage of Francesco I de' Medici (son of Grand Duke Cosimo I) to Joanna of Austria, Giorgio Vasari was commissioned to build a corridor to connect the Pitti Palace, the new grand ducal residence, with the Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio. This allowed the Medici family to move freely and safely from one residence to the other. To create this elevated passageway, built in just five months, Vasari destroyed one of the corner towers, but had to give in to the refusal of the Mannelli family, who flatly refused and opposed the Medici and their architect's design. As can be seen, the corridor runs around the Mannelli tower, creating a non-linear path.

In 1593, Ferdinando I de' Medici, brother of Francesco I, ordered the butchers and other unhygienic merchants to be replaced with goldsmiths and jewelry shops. This was to enhance the bridge's dignity, eliminate unpleasant odors, and make the passage more dignified for nobles and visitors, especially after the construction of the Vasari Corridor. This decision gave the bridge its identity as a center of luxury and high-quality craftsmanship, a tradition that continues today. At the center of the Ponte Vecchio, the Vasari Corridor features a larger window than the others, which was opened in 1860 on the occasion of the visit of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy.

The Second World War marked an important chapter in the bridge's history, especially in its final phase. In 1944, the retreating German army, to slow the American advance, destroyed all the city's bridges. All except Ponte Vecchio, which was saved thanks to the actions of German consul Gerhard Wolf. The bridge was nevertheless mined, and it was decided to demolish the houses on Via Por Santa Maria and Via Guicciardini, the two streets leading to Ponte Vecchio. This made access impossible, but the bridge remained standing.

Year of composition: 2013

Size: cm 70x95

Artist: Leonardo Scarpelli 

An original and authentic hand-made artwork created whith the antique technique of Commesso Fiorentino which is unique for Florence.

Commesso Fiorentino was born with Medici family, one of the most important families in Florence, in the second half of 1500.

The research of the stones is made by the mosaicist that must be able to choose from a rich and wide range of shades and veins: for this reason the artists personally search and collect the stones retracing the paths of the Medici researchers.

The processing starts by drawing the subject on adhesive paper, that is then cut into small tamplates that will be attached to the variegated shades of the stones following the visual instinct, the innate gift of the artist and his perfect knowledge of the materials. The shape of the little piece will be cut by hand with a chestnut, cherry or hazelnut wood bow and an iron wire that flows with abrasive powder and water. It creates a very precise and inclined cut to form the essential spaces to accommodate the glue, made by artisans with beeswax and pine tree resin. The different stones are previously glued onto a slate surface which acts as a support during the cutting and filing phase. The various pieces which form the composition are adjusted in shape with diamond files, glued together so that the joints are invisible, flattened and finally polished in order to create a perfect decorative harmony showing the colors of nature in all their radiance.