Florence's Ponte Vecchio or "Old Bridge" was probably one of the first bridges spanning the Arno River. Its history is therefore not straightforward. It was destroyed in 1345 and rebuilt anew. During the Second World War, however, it was the only bridge over the Arno River in the area that was not demolished by the fleeing Germans (was it a strategy, or did they feel sorry?).
To what do you think the bridge owes its present-day character?