FLORENCE, Italy—After being exclusively accessible to dukes and lords for centuries, Florence’s 16th-century Vasari Corridor has now reopened to the public following an extensive eight-year restoration project. The raised passageway connects the city’s Uffizi Galleries to the former residence of the powerful Medici family.
Named after the renowned Renaissance architect Giorgio Vasari, the corridor spans approximately 820 yards and links the Uffizi Museums to the impressive Palazzo Pitti, passing over the Ponte Vecchio above the historic jewelry boutiques along the Arno river.
Originally built by the Medici family to allow for discreet and secure movement throughout the city, the corridor has significant historical significance in Florence.
Simone Verde, director of the Uffizi Gallery, expressed excitement about the reopening, stating, “It’s a reopening that allows us to connect the two fundamental poles of the (art) collections from one side of the Arno river to the other, the Uffizi Palace with the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, and to make it accessible to all visitors.”
Following a closure in 2016 for restoration work, visitors can now access the Uffizi Museum’s Gallery of Statues and Paintings and traverse the Ponte Vecchio before exiting through the Boboli gardens.
With complete accessibility for disabled individuals through ramps, footbridges, and lifts, as well as a new energy-efficient LED lighting system, the corridor aims to provide a unique alternative route for tourists.
Verde emphasized the corridor’s role in managing overtourism, stating, “The corridor allows us to turn overtourism from a problem into an opportunity, a way for visitors to see the connection between these two poles of the Medici and then Lorena collections.”
Millions of tourists visit Florence annually to marvel at its Renaissance art and architecture, leading to increasing concerns about sustainability in popular Italian cities.
By Francesco Sportelli
