The Night of the Bridges
Video in Italian | In the "Night of the Bridges between 3 and 4 August 1944, all the bridges in Florence were blown up by the retreating Nazi troops.
What if the Ponte Vecchio no longer existed?
In the "Night of the Bridges" between 3 and 4 August 1944, all the bridges in Florence were blown up by the retreating Nazi troops in order to slow down the advance of the allies who were going to free the town.
On 29 July the Germans issued an order and thousands of evacuees from the Lungarni found shelter in various places, including Pitti Palace which, after being the abode of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and the Kings of Italy, now became the home of many Florentines in need.
The Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge spared by the bombing, today becomes the symbol of the Resistance in Florence and of Art and mankind at large.
