On a wartime night in August of 1944, the historic bridges of Florence were bombed, destroyed as German forces fled the city. Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge spared. Why would it not suffer the same fate as the other fallen bridges?
Tag: Ponte Vecchio
Gone But Not Lost: The Bridges of Florence during World War II
Florence, World War II. July 1944. The city, occupied by Nazis for the past year, is on the brink of liberation by Allied forces. “The Allied forces are advancing on Florence,” confirmed the thousands of leaflets that fluttered from the sky, dropped by American planes. “The city’s liberation is at hand. Citizens of Florence, you…
Snapshots from Florence: The Ponte Vecchio
Il Ponte Vecchio “Water under the bridge” is a common English saying. In Italian one would say acqua passata non macina più, literally translated as water gone no longer roils. Regardless the language, the water under this famous bridge is the river Arno, which it has spanned for centuries. The Ponte Vecchio is one of my…
Prayers & Piazzas 