There has been a bridge over the narrowest part of the Arno since Roman times. The current “old bridge” has survived for more than 750 years. Shops and stalls have clung to its sides since the 13th century. The most malodorous trades from the city - butchers, tanners, and fishmongers - were drawn to the river and a convenient means of waste disposal. The prominent first story of the Ponte Vecchio is part of Vasari's corridor, an enclosed passageway built by the architect Giorgio Vasari to provide a secure route for Grand Duke Cosimo I to commute across the river from his home at the Pitti Palace, to his offices at the Uffizi.