After more than eight years of being closed to bring it up to the necessary safety standards, Florence’s famous Vasari Corridor, designed by the great architect and painter Giorgio Vasari for the Medici family, was open to the public for the first time from Saturday 21 December 2024.
The Vasari Corridor, an architectural jewel PHOTO The Uffizi Galleries
The announcement of the opening of the famous secret passage used by the Medici family was made by representatives of the Uffizi Galleries, which also manage the Vasari Corridor, which is 750 meters long.
It is the first time in history that the Vasari Corridor, designed and built in 1565 by the great architect, painter and art historian Giorgio Vasari, opens to the general public.
Before 2016, very few people could see the Vasari Corridor, and only after obtaining special approvals.
From now on, the Vasari Corridor will be accessible to the public with a special ticket. Visitors will enter through the Uffizi Galleries, walk across the Ponte Vecchio and exit into the Boboli Gardens.
To gain access to the Vasari Corridor, visitors must purchase a ticket for the Uffizi Galleries, with a special supplement, for a total price of 43 euros. Advance booking is mandatory. The Vasari Corridor is open from Tuesday to Sunday.
The corridor, also known as the “secret passage”, was built in just five months to allow the Medici family, the rulers of Florence, to move freely and safely from their residence in the Palazzo Pitti to the Palazzo Vecchio, where the seat of the local government was, passing through the Uffizi Galleries.
In a press release posted on the official website, representatives of the Uffizi Galleries, which managed the restoration work and improvements of the Vasari Corridor, called it an “air tunnel” that passes through the heart of Florence.
The restoration program was carried out by the Uffizi Galleries and presented in February 2019 after 18 months of studies and research with dozens of specialists. The actual works, which cost around 11 million euros, started in 2022 and were completed at the end of November 2024.
After the rehabilitation, the Vasari Corridor provides access including for the disabled, with an integrated system of ramps, platforms and elevators. The Vasari Corridor has five emergency exits and special LED lighting, plus video surveillance.
“After an eight-year wait, the reopening of the Vasari Corridor represents the return of a masterpiece within another masterpiece for Florence and Italy. This Florentine passage offers unparalleled panoramic views and allows visitors to admire Florence in all its splendor”says Alessandro Giuli, the Italian Minister of Culture.
