Built in Roman times but given its current design by Giotto's disciple Taddeo Gaddi in the 14th century, Ponte Vecchio or the Old Bridge's three arches stretch across the narrowest point of the Arno river. Back in the day, there used to be shops built along bridges, and this particular bridge housed butchers and greengrocers. Today, you can buy jewels, art, and of course, souvenirs. Vendors display their goods on little tables outside the shops or retrobotteghe that you can also enter. Capable of melting even the coldest of hearts with its beauty, Ponte Vecchio was the only Florentine bridge that Hitler ordered be spared when the Germans bombarded the city in 1944.