Ponte Vecchio

The position of the present bridge dates to the flood of 1178, which swept away the IX century bridge; during the same year many of the houses along the streets leading to the bridge burned. The present three-arched bridge was built by Taddeo Gaddi in 1345. The reconstruction was made possible by the rent from the shops opened on the bridge. It is said that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated here: when a merchant 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 Not having a table anymore, the merchant was not able to sell anything.