The Arno east: Lungarno della Zecca to San Niccolò
The quiet downstream embankment — the weir, the towers, and the riverbank nobody walks. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia
Named for the old mint — *zecca* means mint — that struck the gold florin. Start where the embankment runs east, away from the Ponte Vecchio crowds. The river widens, the noise drops, and you have the bank almost to yourself. Walk downstream with the water on your right.

2. The Pescaia di San Niccolò (weir)
A low diagonal weir across the Arno, where the river goes loud and white over the lip — a *pescaia* once used to power mills and divert water. Lean on the parapet and watch it; on a still evening it's the only sound. The far bank fills with the Oltrarno rooflines.

3. Torre della Zecca Vecchia
A square medieval tower marking the line of the old city wall where it met the river — one of the few gate-towers Florence kept when it tore the walls down. It stands oddly alone now, traffic flowing round it. Cross the river here at Ponte San Niccolò.

4. San Niccolò Oltrarno & Porta San Miniato
On the south bank, the San Niccolò quarter — a single long street under the hill, with the towering Porta San Miniato gate and bars that fill at dusk. Quieter than the rest of the Oltrarno. Walk the length of Via di San Niccolò; this is the evening's social stretch.

5. Torre di San Niccolò
The tall riverside gate-tower, the only one left at its full medieval height because the 1860s demolitions spared it. In summer you can sometimes climb it at sunset by tour; otherwise just stand under it on the embankment as the light goes. The river bends gold here.

6. Lungarno Serristori toward Ponte alle Grazie
Walk back upstream on the south embankment, the city laid out across the water — towers, domes, the hills behind. End near Ponte alle Grazie with the whole centre catching the last light. The bus on the south bank takes you back; or cross the bridge on foot.

The Arno east: Lungarno della Zecca to San Niccolò