How a German Soldier Defied an Empire for Dante's Sake
When Dante stopped a demolition of Ponte Vecchio.
World War II is full of its legends. In the summer of 1944, as Allied forces closed in on Florence, retreating German troops were ordered to destroy every bridge over the Arno to slow their advance.
Every bridge was blown up — except the Ponte Vecchio. The German officer assigned to demolish it refused. “This is the bridge where Dante met Bea…
