the bridge commissioned the Florentine sculptor, Raffaello Romanelli, to create a bronze bust of Cellini to stand atop a fountain in the middle of the Eastern side of the bridge, where it stands to this day. During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by the German army during their retreat at the advance of the British 8th Army on 4 August 1944, unlike all the other bridges in Florence. This was, according to many locals and tour guides, because of an express order by Hitler. Access to the Ponte Vecchio was, however, obstructed by the destruction of the buildings at both ends of the bridge, which have since been rebuilt using a combination of original and modern designs. The bridge was severely damaged in the 1966 flood of the Arno. Between 2005 and 2006, 5,500 padlocks, known as love locks, which were attached to the railings around the bust of Cellini, were removed by the city council. According to the council, the padlocks were aesthetically displeasing and damaged the bust and its railings. There is now a fine for attaching love locks to the bridge. Panorama In art The bridge is mentioned in the aria "O mio babbino caro" by Giacomo Puccini. Wall mural in Grossi Florentino, executed by students of Napier Waller under supervision A fountain pen company Visconti from Firenze has a clip in their pens which is inspired by the arc in Ponte Vecchio bridge. Source See also Krämerbrücke Pulteney Bridge Notes References Chiarugi, Andrea, Foraboschi, Paolo, "Maintenance of the Ponte Vecchio historical bridge in Florence," in: Extending the Lifespan of Structures, Vol. 2, IABSE Symposium Report, San Francisco 1995, pp. 1479–1484 Dupré, Judith, Bridges: A History of the World's Most Spectacular Spans, Hachette/Black Dog & Leventhal Press, New York 2017, Flanigan, Theresa, "The Ponte Vecchio and the Art of Urban Planning in Late Medieval Florence," Gesta 47, 2008, pp. 1–15. Fletcher, Banister: A History of Architecture, The Butterworth Group, London 1987, , pp. 756–757 Graf, Bernhard, Bridges that Changed the World, Prestel, Munich 2002, , pp. 38–39 External links "Ponte Vecchio, Florence" on travel website Numberonestars.com (archived in 2007) Short text about Ponte Vecchio on private tourist website Travel-to-Florence.com Buildings and structures completed in 1345 Deck arch bridges Bridges in Florence Jewellery districts Shopping districts and streets in Italy Stone bridges in Italy Tourist attractions in Florence Bridges completed in the 14th century