On August 3, 1944, the occupying Germans forced all Florence residents to stay home for several days. They then destroyed five of six bridges that crossed the Arno (only the Ponte Vecchio was spared) in anticipation of the Allies’ advance. Among the casualties that night was Primavera, the Spring statue created by Pietro Francavilla in 1608 for the Ponte Santa Trinita bridge. By 1958, the bridge was rebuilt and the Four Season statues were returned to their corners. But Primavera remained decapitated until her head was found in 1961 buried deep in the mud downstream.
