Medici Secret Passageway in Florence reopens

The Vasari Corridor reopens on December 21, following its closure in 2016 for necessary upgrades to comply with modern safety regulations. For the first time in its history, the public will have the chance to enjoy a unique panoramic walk above the center of Florence. The route starts at a dedicated entrance on the first floor of the Gallery of Statues and Paintings in the Uffizi Galleries, taking visitors across Ponte Vecchio and leading to the Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace beyond the Arno River. More than just a journey, this will be like stepping back in time almost 500 years, to when the corridor was first created. Now restored to its original simplicity, the corridor presents itself to visitors as a plain “aerial tunnel,” over 700 meters long and passing above the heart of the city – just as it appeared when the Florentine rulers used it for quick, safe, and uninterrupted passage between their residence and the seat of government.

The consolidation and restoration project for the reopening of the Vasari Corridor was carried out by the Uffizi Galleries and the Soprintendenza (Heritage Authority) and presented in February 2019 after 18 months of studies, research, and investigations involving dozens of specialists (the program includes over a thousand pages, 201 square meters of plans, 23 expert reports, 2435 photographs, and numerous material analyses and tests). The works, costing approximately 10 million euros—plus an additional one million dollars donated in 2023 by American entrepreneur Skip Avansino—began in 2022 and were completed in recent weeks. The last restoration of the Vasari Corridor occurred in the 1990s.

The new Vasari Corridor route ensures full accessibility for people with disabilities, featuring an integrated system of ramps, platforms, and elevators to overcome any elevation changes. The corridor includes restrooms, energy-efficient LED lighting, and complete video surveillance. Among the key project interventions are new emergency exits. Of the total five, one was created inside a pylon (loadbearing) structure after Ponte Vecchio in the Oltrarno district near Via de’ Bardi, and another at the Cortile delle Cacce in the Boboli Gardens. The works also included structural consolidation (as part of an earthquake prevention plan) and interior restoration, particularly of plasterwork, lath-and-plaster ceilings, and terracotta flooring.

Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli: “After an eight-year wait, the reopening of the Vasari Corridor returns a masterpiece within a masterpiece to Florence and Italy. This ‘Florentine passage,’ designed by the genius of Giorgio Vasari to connect the Medici residence at Palazzo Pitti to the government headquarters at Palazzo Vecchio, offers a breathtaking panoramic walk in the heart of a city without equals. Thanks to structural consolidation, restoration expertise, and the skill of professionals coordinated by the Uffizi and Soprintendenza, the corridor is once again available to the public. Accessibility, safety, and energy sustainability define a route that, through its intricate historical, urban, and monumental layers, allows visitors to admire Florence in all its splendor”.

Director of the Uffizi, Simone Verde: “Fulfilling a promise made to citizens upon my appointment, the Vasari Corridor reopens to the public for the end of 2024. For the Uffizi Complex, this is a moment of strategic importance, restoring the unity of its monumental and curatorial history. From December 21, visitors can cross the River Arno, appreciating the vastness, coherence, and richness of the Medici citadel of power and the arts. Its reopening is part of the current systematic efforts to revitalise the museum, focused equally on the Uffizi, Boboli, and Palazzo Pitti”.

Designed by Giorgio Vasari to allow the Medici Grand Dukes safe passage from their private residence at Palazzo Pitti (the Pitti Palace) to the government seat at Palazzo Vecchio, this aerial route—still unique today—was commissioned by Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici in 1565 for the marriage of his son Francesco to Joanna of Austria. Guests from the Habsburg court accompanying the princess were intended to be amazed by this elevated passage above the city, which was completed in just five months.

The route, spanning about 750 meters, begins at the Uffizi, crosses the Ponte Vecchio, bypasses streets, enters buildings, curves around the Torre de’ Mannelli tower, and goes through the Church of Santa Felicita, offering sweeping views of the city at every turn. Both the Uffizi complex and the corridor were part of a broader plan to rehabilitate the impoverished and disreputable neighborhood (known at the time as the “prostitution district”) between Palazzo Vecchio and the Arno. Giorgio Vasari’s architectural and urban planning skills were fully showcased in these projects for the young Cosimo I, first Duke and later Grand Duke of Florence and Tuscany.

While originally intended for government offices, the Uffizi was already preparing to become a museum, a prototype for all future museums. Palazzo Pitti, purchased with the dowry of Eleonora of Toledo, was expanded and complemented with a grand garden to become the Medici royal palace. The corridor, often referred to as the “Florentine passage,” was inspired by the Passetto in Rome, which connects the Vatican Palace to Castel Sant’Angelo—a passage that famously saved Pope Clement VII (Giulio de’ Medici) during the Sack of Rome in 1527. Similarly, the Bramante Corridor of 1505 connected the Vatican Apostolic Palaces with the Casino del Belvedere. A comparable example can be found in Paris, where a covered passage was intended to unite the political and royal centers while also showcasing royal collections, protecting the monarchy from potential attacks. This idea was already in motion in 1565, the same year as the Vasari Corridor, as evidenced by correspondence from Catherine de’ Medici concerning the construction of the Louvre’s Grande Galerie.