Ponte Vecchio

Lined with jewellers since the Middle Ages

Florence’s medieval bridge still earns its living. Gold glitters in every window as jewellers line both sides like they’ve been there forever. They have, more or less, since 1593.

Butchers occupied these shops originally. The stench must have been magnificent. Then the Medici decided gold smelled better than offal and evicted the lot.

The Arno flows murky-green beneath 3 stone arches. Houses jut out over the water, impossibly top-heavy. Sunset transforms the atmosphere here. Honey-coloured stone turns amber, then rose. You’ll want to come snap some evening photos. Crowds thin slightly. The river catches the last light, shimmering between the hanging shopfronts.

This impressive structure survived World War II when every other Florentine bridge fell. Rumour has it that German forces couldn’t bear to destroy it. The surrounding medieval quarters weren't so lucky.

Stand in the centre gap and look downstream. The city spreads in layers of terracotta and stone. Pure Renaissance postcard, earned through centuries.