Fiume Arno from the Ponte San Niccolò in Florence - Torre di Arnolfo of the Palazzo Vecchio and the bell tower of the Basilica di Santa Croce

Crossing over the Ponte San Niccolò over the Fiume Arno (Arno River) in Florence (Firenze) at sunset.

That evening had my first proper view of the landmark towers and domes of the historic centre of Florence (which we would see properly on a guided walking tour the following day).

After crossing the bridge we would walk down to the next bridge along the Lungarno Francesco Ferrucci towards the Ponte Giovanni da Verrazzano.

Ponte San Niccolo

The bridge of San Niccolò is the bridge over the Arno furthest from the center of Florence , the third highest upstream of the Municipality of Florence, after those from Verrazzano and Varlungo.

It was built between 1836 and 1837 near the homonymous fishing farm San Niccolò that supplied water to the mills located within the walls.

Originally it was a suspension bridge, held up by metal ropes stretched between the bank and the bank of the Arno. The original name was Ponte San Ferdinando in honor of Grand Duke Ferdinando III of Tuscany . The construction work was entrusted to a French company of the brothers Marc and Jules Séguin, famous engineers skilled in the design of metal bridges, who had also been in charge of the construction of the San Leopoldo bridge , now called Ponte alla Vittoria. A few years later it was overwhelmed by the 1844 flood, it was rebuilt in 1853 and still modified in 1890, always maintaining a metal structure, for this reason it was popularly called the Iron Bridge.

It changed its name after the end of the Grand Duchy and was named after San Niccolò in honor of the adjacent district on the southern bank of the Arno.

Like all other Florentine bridges except Ponte Vecchio , it was mined and destroyed by the retreating Germans in 1944 and rebuilt in the following years with the current reinforced concrete structure, with a single arch (unlike all previous structures that they had been developed with three arches, with the exception of the first which was suspended).

The Torre di Arnolfo at Palazzo Vecchio.

The Palazzo Vecchio (Italian pronunciation: [paˈlattso ˈvɛkkjo] "Old Palace") is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria with its copy of Michelangelo's David statue as well as the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi.

Originally called the Palazzo della Signoria, after the Signoria of Florence, the ruling body of the Republic of Florence, it was also given several other names: Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori, and Palazzo Ducale, in accordance with the varying use of the palace during its long history. The building acquired its current name when the Medici duke's residence was moved across the Arno to the Palazzo Pitti.

The solid, massive building is enhanced by the simple tower with its clock. Giovanni Villani wrote that Arnolfo di Cambio incorporated the ancient tower of the Foraboschi family (the tower then known as "La Vacca" or "The Cow") into the new tower's facade as its substructure; this is why the rectangular tower (height 94 m) is not directly centered in the building. This tower contains two small cells, that, at different times, imprisoned Cosimo de' Medici (the Elder) (1435) and Girolamo Savonarola (1498). The tower is named after its designer Torre d'Arnolfo. The tower's large, one-handed clock was originally constructed in 1353 by the Florentine Nicolò Bernardo, but was replaced in 1667 with a replica made by Georg Lederle from the German town of Augsburg (Italians refer to him as Giorgio Lederle of Augusta) and installed by Vincenzo Viviani.

The bell tower of the Basilica di Santa Croce.

The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross) is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, Italy, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 meters south-east of the Duomo. The site, when first chosen, was in marshland outside the city walls. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, the poet Foscolo, the philosopher Gentile and the composer Rossini, thus it is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories (Tempio dell'Itale Glorie).

The bell tower was built in 1842, replacing an earlier one damaged by lightning. The neo-Gothic marble façade dates from 1857-1863. The Jewish architect Niccolo Matas from Ancona, designed the church's façade, working a prominent Star of David into the composition. Matas had wanted to be buried with his peers but because he was Jewish, he was buried under the threshold and honoured with an inscription.

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Taken in: Italia / Toscana / Firenze / Gavinana (show map)

Taken on: June 25, 2018

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Florence

Firenze

Italia

Tuscany

Toscana

birthplace of the Renaissance

the Athens of the Middle Ages

Ponte San Niccolò

Ponte S. Niccolò

Arno

Arno River

Fiume Arno

bridge of San Niccolò

Ponte San Ferdinando

Grand Duke Ferdinando III of Tuscany

Marc and Jules Séguin

sunset

tower

towers

Lungarno del Tempio

Lungarno Francesco Ferrucci

crane

cranes

Torre di Arnolfo

Tower of Arnolfo

Palazzo Vecchio

Old Palace

Palazzo della Signoria

Signoria of Florence

Republic of Florence

town hall

Giovanni Villani

Arnolfo di Cambio

ancient tower of the Foraboschi family

La Vacca

The Cow

bell tower

Basilica di Santa Croce

Basilica of the Holy Cross

Santa Croce, Florence

Santa Croce

minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church

Piazza di Santa Croce

Temple of the Italian Glories

Tempio dell'Itale Glorie

neo-Gothic marble façade

Niccolo Matas

World Heritage Site

UNESCO World Heritage Site

historic centre of Florence

Ponte A San Niccolò « less

Sets appears in: • River Arno, Florence • Palazzo Vecchio, Florence more » • Piazza della Signoria, Florence • Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence • Florence « less

Groups appears in: • Sunrise, Sunset • Churches, Chapels, Domes, Mosques, Temples, Shrines and Monaster more » • Sunsets over the City • Stately Homes, Palaces and Castles • Geotagged : Italy • Towers of the World • architecture in Italy • Chiese d'Italia • Churches of the World « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ72, f/5.2, 1/200 sec, 23.6mm, ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-FZ72
Aperture:	f/5.2
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	23.6mm
ISO:	160
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
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Gain Control:	Low gain up
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