There are certain things in Florence, as in every great city in the world, that are on almost all visitors' itineraries. When in Florence, most will want to see the Uffizi, David, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Piazza della Signoria and, perhaps, the Duomo, but if you are an art, architecture or history lover visiting the city, there's a hidden gem that you need to know about. Stretching from the Palazzo Pitti to the Uffizi is a long passageway, measuring almost a kilometre. Named the Vasari Corridor after the man who designed it, it is a lesser-known and less accessible attraction in the city. If you want the chance to be one of the few who gets to see it for yourself, find a luxury villa in Florence and drop by!
Built in 1564 by Giorgio Vasari in only five months to link up the Palazzo Pitti and the Uffizi, it served as a private corridor from work to home for the Medici. It was commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici to commemorate the wedding of his son, Francesco I, to Joanna of Austria. As noted, the covered walkway is almost a kilometre in length, and is an overhead passageway that begins at the West Corridor of the Uffizi, heads towards the Arno and, raised on high arches, follows the river as far as the Ponte Vecchio and crosses over it on top of the shops.
On the other side of the Arno, the corridor continues through the church of Santa Felicita, over houses and the gardens of the Guicciardini family until ends in the Boboli gardens and the apartments in the Pitti Palace.
As a piece of private architecture executed as if it were civic, it shows the absolute power of the Medici who could place their private walkway across homes, bridges and, even, churches.
Furthermore, they banned butchers shops from the stores located on Ponte Vecchio so that the smells could not offend the lords and, even to this day, it is primarily occupied by jewellers.
The corridor was restored and reopened to the public in 1973 but it can only be visited if you book ahead as space is physically limited. With stunning views over the city, over 1000 paintings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries and a collection of self-portraits of the most famous masters of painting from 16th to the 20th century, it's a small space packed with much to see. The self-portraits include works by Andrea del Sarto, Bernini, Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Salvator Rosa, Rubens, Canova, Corot, Ingres and Delacroix among others.
The tour would be a highlight of any trip so if you want to visit when you go to Florence, organise through your travel agent or reserve tickets online.
As a piece of private architecture executed as if it were civic, it shows the absolute power of the Medici who could place their private walkway across homes, bridges and, even, churches.
Furthermore, they banned butchers shops from the stores located on Ponte Vecchio so that the smells could not offend the lords and, even to this day, it is primarily occupied by jewellers.
The corridor was restored and reopened to the public in 1973 but it can only be visited if you book ahead as space is physically limited. With stunning views over the city, over 1000 paintings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries and a collection of self-portraits of the most famous masters of painting from 16th to the 20th century, it's a small space packed with much to see. The self-portraits include works by Andrea del Sarto, Bernini, Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Salvator Rosa, Rubens, Canova, Corot, Ingres and Delacroix among others.
The tour would be a highlight of any trip so if you want to visit when you go to Florence, organise through your travel agent or reserve tickets online.
Photo credits
picture 1: Freepenguin / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Diomidis Spinellis / CC BY-SA 4.0;
picture 3: Sailko / CC BY 2.5
picture 1: Freepenguin / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Diomidis Spinellis / CC BY-SA 4.0;
picture 3: Sailko / CC BY 2.5
