The Vasari Corridor
Commissioned in the 1565 by Cosimo I de’ Medici to the Renaissance painter and architect Giorgio Vasari, the Corridoio Vasariano connects Palazzo Vecchio to Pitti Palace. Running for about a kilometer above the city and the Arno River, the exceptional aerial corridor allowed at the time the Medici family to easily circulate unnoticed between their government headquarter and their main residence, without putting a step outside.
THE VASARI CORRIDOR
Commissioned in 1565 by Cosimo I de’ Medici to the Renaissance painter and architect Giorgio Vasari, the Corridoio Vasariano connects Palazzo Vecchio to Pitti Palace. Running for about a kilometer above the city and the Arno River, this elevated passageway allowed the Medici family to move unnoticed between their government headquarters and their main residence, without setting foot outside.
A SECRET PASSAGEWAY ABOVE THE CITY
Designed and completed in just five months by Giorgio Vasari, the private passage was commissioned for the wedding of Francesco I de’ Medici to Giovanna d’Austria. The Vasari Corridor goes through the Uffizi Gallery, runs above the Lungarno, crosses the Ponte Vecchio, passes through the Church of Santa Felicita and ends at the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens.
Built in 1345, the shops lining the Ponte Vecchio were originally occupied by butchers, greengrocers, and tanners. To spare themselves the unpleasant smells rising from below their newly constructed private passageway, the Medici ordered the removal of these trades and reserved the bridge exclusively for goldsmiths and jewellers—a tradition that continues to this day.
Closed in 2016 for renovations, the Vasari Corridor has been reopened to public in 2024. Previously decorated with selected artworks from the Uffizi’s collection of self-portraits, the section of the Corridoio Vasariano that runs above the Ponte Vecchio has been refurbished with over fifty roman busts. After more than thirty years in storage, these marble sculptures of Roman emperors, empresses and intellectuals can once again be admired by the small number of visitors fortunate enough to explore this hidden Medici passageway.
Tickets for the Vasari Corridor can be purchased through the Uffizi Museum website. If you would like assistance arranging a visit during your stay with us in Florence, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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