Corridoio Vasariano

An utter disappointment. It was nothing more than a recently painted corridor, with a series of busts that had been covered, awaiting an opening of sorts, and an intriguing view into a church from the corridor. We could’ve lived with this, but because the start times were so strict we ended up rushing our visit to the Ufizzi in order to get to the starting point at the proper time. There were some neat views of the bridge from the corridor, but hardly worth the fee and hurried visit of the Ufizzi.

It is utter nonsense to give this corridor one or two stars. First of all there is plenty of time to see the great art in the Uffizi before the appointed walk in the corridor, nobody has to be hurried at all. Second, the stroll down the corridor is intentional, and not painfully slow as some describe; to walk the hallways taken by the most powerful leaders in Italy was a complete honor. So what if the walls were bare or the sculptures were covered. Being able to tie the experience of the Uffizi with the Pitti and Boboli and completes an amazing portrait of a rare world indeed. I have been dreaming of walking this path since my first visit to Florence two decades ago and am grateful for the opportunity to finally experience it.

All the reviews that tell you that it’s completely empty are true. There’s no artwork, all is modern. But I loved the experience anyway. You can see the main roads of ancient Florence from above, you’re passing on top of the Ponte Vecchio, it’s so cool to imagine being part of the Medici family and just use this passage to go from one palace to the other. You can see Florence as you usually don’t. Could it be better? Yep. Should it cost less? Yep. But it’s still super cool.

Impressive walk from the Uffizi Galleries to Palazzo Pitti with splendid views on the Ponte Vecchio. Yes, in the hall itself there's not much to see but seeing how much power the Medici must have had to put this secret passage into place. It takes about 40 minutes

Ok so. It’s the bridge, just the inside version. It was lovely to walk across and not be slammed by a wave of people but it’s literally a hallway. I do not want to minimize the restoration process that was done but wow it was so underwhelming, sort of felt like the hospital I used to work at. We did get to see into the church as mass was happening but really if you are trying to save money while deciding what you want to do, I’d skip this one.

No only it's it completely bare, it was extremely inconvenient to get to. All the directional signage and even the online map show that the entrance is in D19, on the first floor which was closed. We walked in circles for half a hour trying to find someone to provide direction. It turned out to be in "A" and the doors had been closed when we walked past. Definitely not worth the extra money.

The Vasari Corridor was built in 1565. in nine months to connect the Palazzo Vecchio and the Pitti Palace. It is named after its builder Giorgio Vasari. The corridor starts from the Vecchio, passes overhead to the Uffizi Gallery, exits it to the Arno River, curves along the river to the Ponte Vecchio, passes over it on its eastern side, continues to the church of Santa Felicita, passes through it and continues to the Pitti Palace. On its way, the corridor also passes over streets. Its length is 760 meters. The purpose of the corridor is for the ruler to pass unnoticed from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pitti Palace and back. The corridor was partially damaged during World War II by bombing. It was subsequently restored. In 1993, the corridor was damaged by a bomb explosion in a terrorist act and remained inaccessible. Restoration began in 2016, but it is inaccessible to visitors. Since the end of 2024, the corridor has been open to visitors. Its price is combined with the Uffizi Gallery and is 43 euros, otherwise the price for the Uffizi alone is 25 euros. The route along the corridor is one-way from the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace. You cannot return along the corridor. The visit is exactly two hours after you have been to the Uffizi Gallery, which is an inconvenience because you have to see it quickly. There is a guide and you are a group of about 25 people. You move compactly and quickly and you do not have much time to stop and look at the statues and paintings on the walls of the corridor. Recommendation - take pictures quickly to look at the photos more thoroughly.

Sadly disappointing and painfully slow. The newly re-opened corridor is simple plain white hallway without any artwork. There is a strict escort so you are forced to take 45mins to walk the corridor as a group. The escort is not a tour guide, they spent a significant amount of time pausing and conversing in Italian but you are not allowed to pass the guide so is a very long slow painful journey. There is a few lovely sights through the barred windows along the way but the corridor itself sadly does not communicate any of the history. For 20€ extra it just forces you to leave the Uffizi earlier than you want to. The exit into Baboli Gardens was the best part but it does not include entrance into the Baboli gardens or Pitti Palace so another 15min slow wait for the escort to guide you outside.

The vasari corridor was built in the 1500's by the famous and powerful Medici family who once controlled Florence, Italy - this secret passageway was built primarily so that the nobles could escape and move from one palace to another without mixing with the local populace. The corridor itself stretches from Palazzo Veccho ( entrance is from the Uffizi) to Piazza Pitti and passes over the Ponte Vecchio. Its absolutely a once in a lifetime visit and if you love Florence and its history, its a must see. I You have to go by organized tour and I highly recommend the one organzed by the local english paper - The Florentine since they talk about women artists and provide interesting, thoughtful insight on the art and artists themselves which is super interesting in a male-dominated world of art in Italy. I really enjoyed peeking out at severl of the windows at local passerbys and vantage points I have never seen in Florence, especially over the ponte vecchio. You cannot take pictures of the artwork but you can take pictures out of the windows and there are some fantastic photo opportunities. We ended our tour next to the famous grotto where jazz concerts are now being played in piazza pitti gardens. It was the perfect place to end our adventure and to be honest, I would like to go again! Best tour for Florentines and tourists alike!

SECRET FLORENCE. A VISIT TO REMEMBER Wikipedia says: "The Vasari Corridor (Italian: Corridoio Vasariano) is an elevated enclosed passageway in Florence, central Italy, which connects the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti. Beginning on the south side of the Palazzo Vecchio, it then joins the Uffizi Gallery and leaves on its south side, crossing the Lungarno dei Archibusieri and then following the north bank of the River Arno until it crosses the Ponte Vecchio. At the time of construction the Torre dei Mannelli had to be built around using brackets because the owners of the tower refused to alter it. The corridor covers up part of the façade of the chiesa di Santa Felicità. The corridor then snakes its way over rows of houses in the Oltrarno district, becoming narrower, to finally join the Palazzo Pitti. Most of it is closed to visitors. (See 1. below) History and overview The Vasari Corridor was built in 5 months by order of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici in 1565, to the design of Giorgio Vasari. It was commissioned in connection with the marriage of Cosimo's son, Francesco, with Johanna of Austria. The idea of an enclosed passageway was motivated by the Grand Duke's desire to move freely between his residence and the government palace, when, like most monarchs of the period, he felt insecure in public, in his case especially because he had replaced the Republic of Florence. The meat market of Ponte Vecchio was moved to avoid its smell reaching into the passage, its place being taken by the goldsmith shops that still occupy the bridge. At the latter extremity, the corridor was forced to pass around the Mannelli's Tower, after the staunch opposition of that family to its destruction. In the middle of the Ponte Vecchio the corridor is characterized by a series of panoramic windows facing the Arno, in direction of the Ponte Santa Trinita. These replaced the smaller windows of the original construction in 1939, by order of Benito Mussolini. After the Ponte Vecchio the Corridor passes over the loggiato of the church of Santa Felicita; at that point it had a balcony, protected by a thick railing, looking into the interior of the church, in order to allow the Grand Duke's family to follow services without mixing with the populace. In its Uffizi section the Vasari Corridor is used to exhibit the museum's famous collection of self-portraits." (See 2. below). Thank you, Wikipedia. This was an experience that will not be forgotten. 1. All of it is in fact closed to the public, except by prior arrangement. It then takes negotiation with the authorities/companies who conduct tours. They can arrange e.g. a guided tour of the Uffizi (walking immediately into a side entrance) and eventually proceeding into the Vasari Corridor. It takes a few hours to do full justice to passing through the corridor, but they are not hours that you will forget, believe me. We had the privilege of such a tour with a charming lady. It really does make a difference to have a skilled personal guide in the Uffizi who can explain the style progressions of the Renaissance and so much more background information that would require considerable research. For example: Can you see how Leonardo screwed up here? The length of that arm was wrong, so he concealed that by changing the appearance of the wall (trompe d'oeil)." Or "Look at the face in Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus'. Then look at the faces in Botticelli's other works. ;-)" Having finished this amazing tour, you proceed towards a door where you join the security guard and follow up a flight of stairs into the Vasari (just 4 of you). Then you continue alongside the river (beneath the long red roof in the photo) Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/4c247b02.jpg until you reach the roof level of the Ponte Vecchio, where the corridor turns 90 degrees to the left (or to port, or to whatever Galileo would have said). Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Italy%20Xmas%202009/2009_1227Garden0037.jpg You then slowly cross the bridge in the steps of the Medici from where you can look down upon the seething masses. Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/51cfc76e.jpg You feel as if you should have dressed for the occasion (white silk stockings, floppy hat, red cloak etc. [plus whatever the Medici used as pocket calculators] ;-). 2. Here it is that you will then find a vast amount of portraits, including self-portraits by many, many famous artists from all over the world. Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/335f58b5.jpg It is virtually too much to take in and as our charming guide said you always notice something new each time. Past (or rather through) the church where the Medici used to worship in private above the peasantry, past various houses and eventually down to where it 'empties' into the gardens of the Palazzo

Explore Florence's worth from within and without. And what makes better the city than Uffizi and the Vasari Corridor? The Vasari Corridor is from the heart of the Uffizi Gallery, to the Boboli Garden. It is significantly divided into two parts. The first with a collection of oils in Caravaggio style, and a second dedicated to portraits of different historical moments. Particularly impressive is retracing the destruction of the massacre of Gergofili, which saw the death of five people and the destruction of priceless paintings. Instead you can have stunning views of the Ponte Vecchio with its jewelery and Arno from small round little windows. An experience not to be missed!

I had been looking forward to the ArtViva Uffizi Gallery and Vasari Corridor tour for a week and was ecstatic that Saturday afternoon had arrived. We got an enthusiastic, knowledgeable guide from Amsterdam named Claus, who was an Art History major. I was particularly stoked about the private tour of the Vasari Corridor because it was highlighted in Dan Brown's Inferno. It was built in 5 months by Vasari after the Medicis demanded a passageway be built between the Palazzo Pitti and Uffizi. They were so arrogant and upper class that they did not want to walk among the common people. The corridor is host to numerous paintings, including a large collection of the self-portraits of famous artists. The tunnel goes above the jewelry shops of the Ponte Vecchio and it was a thrill to look down (there are windows placed along the walls of the corridor) on all of the walkers on the bridge below, oblivious to us towering in a secret passageway above them. I was amazed to find that the passageway cuts through the Santa Felicita church (the home of the Medicis). It was a blast seeing the Buontalenti Cave next to the entrance of the corridor, both of which Robert Langdon dealt with. We even had the chance to go inside the cavern after a guard unlocked the gate!

We took a combined Uffitzi and Corridioi Vasaraiano tour in Sept 2014. Absolutely fabulous. the tour guide was knowledgable, entertaining and very concerned with every, detail of the tour. We were extremely lucky as the security guides were on strike and the Uffizi was closed to the public, but the tour was allowed to continue. Thus we had empty rooms throughout the museum and then entered the amazing corridor. This tour is highly recommended