The Vasari Corridor is an elevated secret passage designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1565 on the orders of Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, to connect Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of Florentine power, with the family’s private residence, Palazzo Pitti, in the fastest, safest and most hygienic manner possible.

The result is an enclosed corridor over 700 metres in length, which runs from Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi Gallery, passes over Ponte Vecchio – ‘cleansed’ in 1593 of the evil-smelling filth that cluttered the area by replacing the butchers’ shops with far more elegant goldsmiths’ workshops – and continues on a loggia across the facade of Santa Felicita, where there is a balcony inside the church; it winds among historic buildings and courtyards before emerging in the beautiful Boboli Gardens and finally entering Palazzo Pitti.

Following major restoration work lasting eight years, the Vasari Corridor has returned to its original form, just as it appeared to the lords of Florence; it reopens to the public in December 2024.

The corridor has 73 windows offering wonderful views over the city, and is embellished by some 30 ancient sculptures, along with a collection of Greek and Roman inscriptions and several sixteenth-century frescoes painted at the behest of Vasari himself.

HOW TO VISIT THE VASARI CORRIDOR
Booking is compulsory; visits are from Tuesday to Sunday with tickets to the Uffizi and a special supplement, total price is 43 euros.

The dedicated entrance is on the first floor of the Uffizi Gallery.