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Why are goldsmiths and jewelers associated with the Ponte Vecchio?

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Florence The Florence Cathedral, also known as the Duomo or the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, in Florence.

Goldsmiths and jewelers are concentrated on the Ponte Vecchio due to a 16th-century decree by Grand Duke Ferdinand I.1

For the previous 200 years, the bridge had been occupied by butcher shops. The Grand Duke deemed these businesses, which he referred to as the "vile arts," to be inelegant for such a prominent location. Consequently, he ordered the butchers to vacate the bridge and replaced them with practitioners of the precious metal trades.1

Following this transition, the new occupants expanded their shops by building outward over the water, supported by brackets attached to the bridge. These extensions, along with the covered passage constructed above the shops to connect the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi, contribute to the bridge's iconic appearance today.21