Vasari Corridor

Let's discover together the marvellous covered walkway connecting Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti with a panoramic view over Florence

Like the Uffizi, the Vasari Corridor was designed by architect Giorgio Vasari at the behest of Cosimo I de' Medici. The work was commissioned and completed in only five months in 1565, on the occasion of the marriage between the Grand Duke's son, Francesco I, and Giovanna of Austria. The meat market that had been held on Ponte Vecchio since 1345 was moved for reasons of decorum, and in its place were the goldsmiths' workshops that still occupy the bridge today. Its function was to allow the grand dukes to move quickly, safely and even cleanly, without going down the streets that were unhealthy and muddy at the time, from their palace, in the Pitti Palace, to the palaces of the administration (Uffizi) and government (Palazzo Vecchio, connected to the Gallery via the so-called 'Passetto'). Here is our video of the tour and interview with ex Director Eike Schmidt and here our journey of discovery through the Uffizi Galleries.

Corridoio Vasariano

Closed in December 2016 for security reasons, the new Vasari Corridor itinerary, as announced by the new Uffizi Director Simone Verde, the first section of the new Vasari Corridor route will be visible from late autumn. Everything will be open by the end of 2024. The new Corridor will be travel in one direction, i.e. from the Uffizi (entrance) towards the Pitti Palace (exit), and is currently planned to hold a maximum of 125 people inside at the same time. At the end of the itinerary, visitors can choose whether to exit into the Boboli Gardens or continue inside the Pitti Palace, near the Palatine Gallery.

Corridoio Vasariano

As for the layout, the more than 700 paintings, including a large group of self-portraits, that hung on the walls of the Vasariano in the past decades are no longer part of the itinerary. The self-portraits have been removed and displayed in a series of rooms on the first floor of the Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture.

Corridoio Vasariano

In light of its new function as a panoramic promenade above Florence, the 73 windows along the route are opened to allow visitors to admire as much as possible of the beauty of the historical centre observed from the unique and evocative viewpoint of the walkway. About 30 ancient sculptures and a collection of Greek and Roman inscriptions decorate the Vasariano. There is also a space dedicated to the 16th-century frescoes, created at the behest of Giorgio Vasari himself.