Ponte Santa Trinita

Ponte Santa Trinita is a beautiful bridge in Florence, located on the Arno River, which connects Piazza Santa Trinita to Piazza de’ Frescobaldi.

SHORT HISTORY

Ponte Santa Trinita was built in wood in 1252, thanks to Filippo Ugoni, Mayor of Florence, at the behest of the noble Frescobaldi family, and took the name of the nearby Basilica of Santa Trinita.

In 1259, the bridge collapsed under the weight of the crowd watching a show on the Arno. It was rebuilt in stone, but was destroyed again by the great flood of 1333. The subsequent rebuilding lasted fifty years, and was completed in 1415.

In 1557, Ponte Santa Trinita was again deteriorated by a flood, and Cosimo I commissioned Bartolomeo Ammannati to build a new bridge, based on a design by Michelangelo. The construction began in 1567, and the work was completed in 1571.

The bridge was destroyed by the retreating Germans on August 4, 1944, at the end of the Second World War. In 1952, the architect Riccardo Gizdulich began to supervise the reconstruction works, together with the engineer Emilio Brizzi. The reconstructed bridge was inaugurated on March 16, 1958.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The bridge is built in pietraforte (strong stone), and has the shape of a catenary arch, with five arches and four support pillars.

Four allegorical statues depicting the four seasons decorate the corners of the bridge. Added in 1608 to celebrate the wedding of Cosimo II with Maria Maddalena of Austria, the statues are the work of Pietro Francavilla (Spring), Taddeo Landini (Winter) and Giovanni Caccini (Summer and Autumn).

HOW TO GET THERE

Ponte Santa Trinita is located about 900 meters away from the Santa Maria Novella railway station. The closest bus stop is Frescobaldi, located in Piazza de’ Frescobaldi, on the southern bank of the Arno River, on the bus Lines 11, C3 and C4.