PONTE VECCHIO

Ponte Vecchio, Florence (Italian: "Old Bridge"), first segmental arch bridge built in the West, which crosses over the Arno River at Florence and is an outstanding engineering achievement of the European Middle Ages. Its builder, Taddeo Gaddi, completed the bridge in 1345. Requiring fewer piers in the stream than the Roman semicircular-arch design, the segmental arch offered less obstruction to navigation and freer passage to floodwaters. The Ponte Vecchio roadway carries a two-story gallery, the upper gallery connecting the neighbouring Pitti, Uffizi, and other palaces, the lower providing space for shops. During World War II the Ponte Vecchio bridge over the Arno River was the only one spared from destruction by the retreating German army.