Ponte Veccio, rowers in the river every afternoon, and the beautiful view from the hill

Ponte Veccio is the most famous bridge in Florence. It was constructed in 1333 at the beginning of the Roman era, but then was reconstructed by the royal Medici family in 1565. During this time, a special corridor/secret passageway (Corridor di Vasari) was built on top of the stores and office buildings on the bridge for the Medici family to be able to cross safely across from their palace (Pitti Palace) to the other side without danger or an escort. This bridge was also the only bridge that escaped destruction in Florence during the second World War, as Adolf Hitler wanted to keep it for his troops to be able to safely cross and meet with Mussolini to discuss their Nazi/Fascist alliance. Today, the corridor can only be seen/crossed by those who are willing to pay a lot of money (at least 100 euros, not sure exactly) to keep the originality of only having the upper class/rich/royalty seeing the passageway. Below, the street across is lined with high-end jewelry shops that have wooden covers that are closed at night, appearing like jewelry boxes.