Ponte Vecchio, Florence

The Ponte Vecchio, built in 1345, is the oldest bridge in Florence and one of the oldest segmental arch bridges in the world. Uniquely lined with shops — originally butchers and tanners, now jewellers and art dealers — it is the only bridge in Florence not destroyed by retreating German forces in 1944. The Vasari Corridor above it allowed the Medici to cross the Arno privately.