What happened to the bridge in 1944?

It was spared while other bridges were blown up

Ponte Vecchio Quiz: Goldsmith Shops and the Vasari Corridor

This Ponte Vecchio quiz crosses the Arno on Florence's oldest bridge. Play 10 interactive questions on the 1345 rebuilding, butchers and tanners replaced by goldsmiths in 1593, Grand Duke Ferdinando I, the Vasari Corridor for Cosimo I de' Medici, its 2024 reopening, the 1944 escape from demolition, Cellini's bust and the bankruptcy story.

Start Ponte Vecchio Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which city is the Ponte Vecchio in?
Name
What does Ponte Vecchio mean?
Built
When was the current bridge built after a flood?
Before
Which shops lined the bridge before goldsmiths?
Order
Who ordered goldsmiths to replace them in 1593?
Corridor
What runs above the shops?
Medici
For whom was the corridor built in 1565?
Reopen
When did the Vasari Corridor reopen after restoration?
War
What happened to the bridge in 1944?
Bust
Whose bust stands in the middle of the bridge?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which city is the Ponte Vecchio in?
Answer: Florence
It crosses the Arno.
Q2: What does Ponte Vecchio mean?
Answer: Old Bridge
It is Florence's oldest bridge.
Q3: When was the current bridge built after a flood?
Answer: 1345
Earlier bridges were swept away.
Q4: Which shops lined the bridge before goldsmiths?
Answer: Butchers and tanners
Their waste went into the river.
Q5: Who ordered goldsmiths to replace them in 1593?
Answer: Grand Duke Ferdinando I
He disliked the smell.
Q6: What runs above the shops?
Answer: The Vasari Corridor
It is an elevated walkway.
Q7: For whom was the corridor built in 1565?
Answer: Cosimo I de' Medici
He could cross the city privately.
Q8: When did the Vasari Corridor reopen after restoration?
Answer: 2024
Visitors can walk it with tickets.
Q9: What happened to the bridge in 1944?
Answer: It was spared while other bridges were blown up
Buildings at its ends were demolished.
Q10: Whose bust stands in the middle of the bridge?
Answer: Benvenuto Cellini
He was a famous goldsmith.

Goldsmiths, Medici Corridors and a Bridge That Survived

The Ponte Vecchio, meaning Old Bridge, crosses the Arno in Florence. The current stone bridge was built in 1345 after a flood swept away an earlier one. Shops lined it from the start, first butchers and tanners who threw their waste into the river.

In 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I ordered goldsmiths and jewelers to replace them, and their shops still line the bridge today. Above them runs the Vasari Corridor, built by Giorgio Vasari in 1565 so Cosimo I de' Medici could walk privately from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace. After restoration, it reopened to visitors in 2024.

In 1944 retreating German forces blew up Florence's other bridges but spared the Ponte Vecchio, though buildings at its ends were destroyed. A bust of goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini stands in the middle. A popular story links the word bankruptcy to broken money benches, though scholars debate it.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

When the bridge was built
Who worked on it
What runs above it
How it survived the war
Which stories surround it

Did You Know?

Padlocks on the bridge are banned and fined.
Sunset views from nearby bridges are famous.
The Arno flooded the bridge's shops in 1966.
Shop shutters are made of wood.
The Uffizi Gallery connects to the corridor.