As dusk sets on another day in Florence, Tuscany, the lights on the Ponte Vecchio, spanning the Arno River in the middle of Florence light up for all to see. This bridge is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so it is protected for many years to come for everyone to enjoy and see.
This bridge, when it was first built in 1345, had shops on it for people to see their merchandise, and it still does today. Originally the shops were butcher shops, but today there are jewellers and souvenir shops mostly. The original bridge that was built on this spot is first mentioned around 996. One version of it was destroyed in a flood in 1117, and then again in 1333. This current version was built in 1345, and has so far not been swept away. ... continue below the picture...
Many people feel that the whole idea of bankruptcy was first started on this bridge. This is because when a merchant could not pay his debts, then the actual table that his stock was on, broke at which time he declared "bancorotto" (meaning broken bench) and the term bankruptcy came from that.
Today this is such a popular tourist destination and people come from all over the world to see this bridge - it will always be popular.
Dusk over the Ponte Vecchio (bridge - built in 1345) spanning the Arno River in the City of Florence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Province of Florence, Region of Tuscany, Italy, Europe.
Technical Information:
I photographed this photo with the digital SLR camera model Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, aperture of f/13.0, exposure time of 10/1 sec. on ISO 50, as always I used a original Canon Lens, the focus lenght for this picture was 35mm.