Ponte alle Grazie bridge in Italy, resort of Florence
Rating: 7,6/10 (800 votes)  Ponte alle Grazie is one of the bridges over the Arno River. The grand opening of the modern bridge took place in 1957. The current bridge was erected on the site of an old bridge blown up in 1944 by the Germans. The very first bridge built on this site was Ponde di Rubaconte. The bridge was named after Rubaconte da Mandello – head of the Florentine government, who in 1227 and conceived the construction of the bridge. The bridge was built at the widest point of the river and until 1944 was the oldest and longest bridge in the city. Throughout its history, the bridge has been able to withstand the largest floods. At that time, a distinctive feature of the bridge was the presence of wooden houses on it, which were later turned into chapels, workshops and monasteries. Since 1320, there was a monastery on the bridge, where recluse nuns lived. There were also many chapels on the bridge, among which the most popular was the chapel of Santa Maria alle Grazie with the image of Our Lady of Merciful ... This image is the patron saint of unhappy and rejected lovers. In the 15th century, the bridge acquired its current name. Over the centuries, the appearance of the bridge has changed. In 1347, on the left bank, two arches of the bridge were closed to widen the Plaza dei Mozzi. In the 19th century, the number of arches was reduced to six, as the construction of the embankment was planned. At the same time, it was decided to modernize the bridge. The abandoned chapels were demolished to widen the bridge's carriageway to create sidewalks and tramways. A year after the destruction of the old bridge, the city authorities announced a competition for the design of the modern bridge. The competition was won by a group that included architects Giovanni Micheluzzi, Eduardo Detti, Danilo Santi, Ricardo Gizdulich and engineer Piero Melizzi.   
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