Famous bridges in Florence

Millions of travellers visit Florence for its outstanding collection of art, architecture, and culture.

Florence has 12 bridges in the city that help people travel from one side to the other. Each bridge has its own history and facts that isn’t just a bridge that goes across the Arno River.

Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio is the most famous and oldest bridge in Florence that connects the city to Oltrarno. The most photographed bridge opened in 1345 and managed to survive World War II. The stone made bridge is where the Romans had first built a bridge in Florence before 994 AD.

The three arch bridge goes across the Arno River and has a range of jewellery stores along the bridge.

Ponte Santa Trinita

Ponte Santa Trinita is the oldest elliptic arch bridge in the world. The original bridge was wood and was built in 1252 but the Arno River had swept it away seven years later from flooding. Then the bridge got upgraded from wood to stone which did last longer but only up until 1333, when again the Arno had destroyed it from floods.

The bridge was yet again built but as expected, got destroyed in a 1557 flood. Then in 1570, the bridge was rebuilt (again) and designed by Bartolomeo Ammannati and reworkings by Michelangelo. The bridge had lasted years withstanding any flooding from the Arno, but in 1944 the bridge came down during World War II.

In 1955 money was being raised to redo the bridge and they damned the Arno to recover all the stone from the original bridge. The bridge was finally fully restored to its original form in 1961.

Ponte alle Grazie

Ponte alle Grazie was originally built in 1227 and then rebuilt again in 1345. At the time the bridge had nine arches and was one of Florence’s oldest and longest bridges.

Like most of the bridges in Florence, this one was destroyed during World War II. Years later there was a competition for a new bridge design with a modern style that had slim pillars and thin arches.

Ponte San Niccolo

Ponte San Niccolo connects Lungarno del Tempio to Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini. The bridge is a single arched bridge and is the only bridge to not have multiple arches in Florence.

The original metal French design bridge was destroyed during World War II. During the reconstruction, the bridge would be made out of reinforced concrete instead.

The Arno River separates the city, but the bridges are there for you to easily cross to reach the other side of town. If you were going to visit one bridge, we recommend going to Ponte Vecchio as it’s the most popular and has a range of shops to see as you’re crossing.