Centro Fiorenza
Cuculia - Ristorante Libreria
Da i' Conte Diladdarno
Fili Folli
Hotel Relais Il Cestello
Tourist informations
Where is it: between Lungarno Guicciardini and Lungarno Soderini.
The Bridge alla Carraia is named after the carriages for whose transit it was built and has changed its shape many times in the past centuries.
History
A wooden bridge, named «Ponte nuovo» ("New Bridge") was built in 1218; it should be used for the carriages transporting goods to Pisa, but was destroyed by the flood of 1269 and subsequently rebuilt with parts in stone. Also this newer bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1333 and replaced by a completely stone-built bridge with two small chapels at its both ends. In 1557 Grand-Duke Cosimo I commissioned Ammannati with a refurbishment of the bridge, which had been damaged during the flood that wiped off the Santa Trinita Bridge.
Until early 19th Century from the Bridge alla Carraia were launched the traditional fireworks on 24th June (St. John's day), and in 1867 the bridge was further strenghtened due to the increased carriage traffic.
Click to enlarge pictures.
Also this bridge was destroyed by German mines in august 1944; a new bridge begun to be built only in 1950, after a long dispute about the project that had to be followed.
Once the bridge was completed in 1952, it was criticized by the Florentines due to its shape (it was called the «humpback-bridge»): the disappointment of the Florentines was so deep that the City council decided to reopen the bridge without any ceremony as it had been for the other rebuilt bridges.
