A Hidden Jewel: The Vasari Corridor Gallery
One of the secret jewels of the famous Medici family was most definitely the Vasari Corridor. A secret passageway that invokes mystery and fascination for those looking for a little off-the-beaten-path itinerary in Florence and gives any visitor a reason to ‘look’ up when walking by the Uffizi gallery or Ponte Vecchi bridge.
This covered walkway was first built by Giorgio Vasari in 1564 and served as a passegeway from the Uffizi Gallery to Palazzo Pitti for Francesco I de’ Medici, the Grand Duke who had just recently married Giovanna of Austria.
The walkway starts from the west corridor in the gallery of the Uffizi, towards the river and crosses the Ponte Vecchio bridge, above all of the gold shops that tourists pass by daily, passing through interior of the church of Santa Felicita and on top of numerous houses finally ending at the Palazzo Pitti. More specifically the Boboli gardens.
Interesting enough, the Ponte Vecchio bridge used to be home to butcher shops, but they moved when the corridor was built as to not give an unpleasant smell to the Grand Duke as he made his way across. That’s when the gold trade on the bridge first started.
Unfortunately it has also had once been heavily damaged by a terrorist attack commissioned by the Italian mafia in 1993, a bomb went off at torrei dei pulci which killed five people and destroyed some of the artworks and a section, which has been since restored.
This secret passageway has been closed for many years, and only opened to the public in the 1970’s for small, private groups. It is well worth a visit also to check out the impressive self-portraits dating back from the 17th and 18th centuries, there are over a 1,000 paintings in total. This was commissioned by the Cardinal Leopoldo de’ Medici in the mid 17th century.
It’s a very unique part of Florentine history and very interesting to visit. From the windows inside, you can look out onto the arno and the people below, you get quite an interesting vantage point that only was previously seen by the members of the Medici family.
To buy tickets and get more info about this Florentine jewel, check out this website.
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