between reality and illusion - a photo on Flickriver

            Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy (pre-dawn blue hour)

The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch 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 jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. 

The bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point where it is believed that a bridge was first built in Roman times. The Roman piers were of stone, the superstructure of wood. After being destroyed by a flood in 1117, it was reconstructed in stone but swept away again in 1333. It was rebuilt in 1345.

The bridge has always hosted shops and merchants who displayed their goods on tables before their premises, after authorization of the Bargello (a sort of a lord mayor, a magistrate and a police authority). The back shops (retrobotteghe) that may be seen from upriver, were added in the seventeenth century.

It is said that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated here: when a money-changer could not pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") by soldiers, and this practice was called "bancorotto" (broken table; possibly it can come from "banca rotta" which means "broken bank"). Not having a table anymore, the merchant was not able to sell anything and went bankrupt.

(from Wikipedia)

Taken in: Italia / Toscana / Firenze / Giardino di Boboli (show map)

Taken on: April 19, 2017

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