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Ponte Amerigo Vespucci is a
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
over the
Arno River The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a ...
in
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and named after Florence-born explorer
Amerigo Vespucci Amerigo Vespucci ( , ; 9 March 1454 – 22 February 1512) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Florence for whom "Naming of the Americas, America" is named. Vespucci participated in at least two voyages of the A ...
. It joins the Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci to the Lungarno Soderini. To the east is the
Ponte alla Carraia The Ponte alla Carraia is a five-arched bridge spanning the River Arno and linking the district of Oltrarno to the rest of the city of Florence, Italy. To the west is a weir, the Pescaia di Santa Rosa, and the Ponte Amerigo Vespucci, and to the ...
. This bridge, like most of the other bridges over the Arno, is a reconstruction. Plans were made in 1908 to bridge this section of the Arno to service quartiere di San Frediano, but the plans were never realized. In 1949, a bridge, ponte di via Melegnano, was constructed from the recycled remains of other bridges that had been destroyed by the Nazi army as they withdrew before the advancing Allied forces during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Between 1952 and 1954, a competition for the construction of a new bridge was held, and the plan of the architects Giuseppe Giorgio Gori, Enzo Gori and Ernesto Nelli and of engineer
Riccardo Morandi Riccardo Morandi visiting Palace of Justice Competition. Riccardo Morandi (1 September 1902 – 25 December 1989) was an Italian civil engineer best known for his innovative use of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete, although over the ...
was chosen. The plan called for three spans in a thin, flat
arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...
over two
pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
s which supports the roadway. The final effect gives the impression of a single, slightly curved span. Construction on the bridge was completed in 1957. It was designed to be reflective of the nearby historical structures but also to be an obviously modern structure.


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Amerigo Vespucci Bridges in Florence Bridges completed in 1957 Modernist architecture in Italy Rebuilt buildings and structures in Italy