The Ponte Santa Trinita bridge

The Ponte Santa Trinita is a Renaissance bridge in Florence, Italy, spanning the Arno River. The original bridge was built by architect Bartolomeo Ammannati from 1567 to 1569. Characterised by three flattened ellipses, it is the oldest elliptic arch bridge in the world.

In the Night of the Bridges in August 1944, all of the bridges in Florence, including the Santa Trinita, were blown up by retreating Nazi troops, in an effort to slow down the advance of allied forces who were coming to free the city.

The Santa Trìnita was reconstructed in 1958 with original stones raised from the Arno, or taken from the same quarry in the Boboli gardens, under the direction of architect Riccardo Gizdulich - who studied Florentine archives - and engineer Emilio Brizzi.

I was incredibly privileged to walk across the Santa Trinita whilst in Florence in the springtime. I took photos for reference, knowing it would make a wonderful subject for a new painting when I returned to my studio in Melbourne. In the springtime weather, I also made sketches of the bridge and Arno river en plain air: sketches that have since informed the final composition.

Oil paint on stretched canvas, framed. In progress, 2025. Dimensions: 32cm x 42cm. Copyright of the artist, July 2025.