The
Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge", Italian pronunciation: ['ponte 'v?kkjo]) is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River, in
Florence, Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common.
Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers.
It has been described as
Europe's oldest wholly-stone, closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge,but there are far older segmental arch bridges such as Alconétar Bridge.
The Ponte Vecchio's two neighbouring bridges are the Ponte Santa Trinità and the Ponte alle Grazie.
