In addition to being a symbol of Florence, the Ponte Vecchio is home to most of the city’s longstanding jewellers. The centuries-old buildings in which the stores reside are unlike anywhere else in the world: two rows of artisan boutiques, amid old arches on all sides, make this bridge a world-famous architectural icon.

Distinguished by heavy wooden doors and ornate shop windows, the goldsmiths are uniquely skilled artisans, with backrooms that protrude out over the River Arno, as if they were suspended in the air.