The Vasariano Corridor, a masterpiece of Renaissance urbanism, reopens

Florence. The Vasarian Corridor, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture and urbanism, opens to the general public for the first time after having been limited to small groups in the past. This has been possible due to an investment of more than 200 million pesos. The works, begun in 2016, included structural restorations, the installation of LED lighting, accessibility systems and emergency exits.

It is air tunnel 760 meters long, it was built in 1565 by the versatile artist and first European art historian Giorgio Vasari, after whom it is named. Explore the bowels of several buildings in the heart of the city. It was commissioned by Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici with the purpose of connecting the two main ducal residences for the exclusive use of the court: the Palazzo Vecchio, seat of the Florentine government from the Middle Ages until now, and the nearby Palazzo Pitti.

This property, acquired by the Medici on the other side of the Arno River, was first intended for family leisure and relaxation. It was then transformed into the main palace of the court, where the dynasty resided until the extinction of its lineage with the death of Gian Gastone de’ Medici in 1737. Today it houses, along with the Uffizi, the vast collection of Medici art. , bequeathed to the city as cultural heritage.

The culmination of this ambitious project is part of the New Uffizi plan, which began in 2000, whose objective has been to double the exhibition area and completely renew the Uffizi galleries, a work that, after 25 years of work and the impression of being endless , finally heads towards its conclusion.

The route begins at the Uffizi – a building designed shortly before the corridor to centralize the administrative and judicial offices of the duchy –, borders the Arno River, crosses the upper part of the Vecchio Bridge, surrounds the De Mannelli tower, crosses the interior of the church of Santa Felicita and culminates in the Boboli gardens of the Pitti palace, excluding the section of the Vecchio palace.

The ticket, with a cost of just over 900 pesos, is prohibitive for most. It includes admission to the Uffizi (528 pesos plus 85 pesos for reservation), but acts as an elitist filter. Although it is free for children under 18 and people with disabilities, and offers discounts for certain categories, the standard rate restricts access due to cost, with the Uffizi being one of the most visited museums in the world, which last year reached a record of 5 million attendees.

The discreet architecture of the corridor is integrated into the urban landscape, while its interior has recovered its original appearance after a remodeling. It previously housed the largest and oldest collection of self-portraits in the world, which began in the 17th century, and covers artists and sculptors from the Middle Ages to the present day. It is now located on the first floor of the premises.

The corridor has round and rectangular windows, designed by Vasari, with the purpose of regulating light and temperature, in addition to offering panoramic views at key points of the Old Bridge. These guarantee functionality, aesthetics and privacy, since some oculus are located to avoid being visible.

According to Francesca Funis, in The Vasari Corridor: A street above the city (2018), the hall was built in nine months, not five as Vasari claimed. The author suggests that its origin is linked to the catastrophic flood of the Arno in 1557, which divided the city, thus offering a solution to future contingencies.

The project began with the announcement of the marriage of Francis I, the duke’s eldest son, with Joan of Austria, of the House of Habsburg, an alliance of great political relevance for the Medici, who did not come from nobility, but from commerce. This union legitimized their status and positioned them among the main European courts, where the corridor, completed for the wedding, in December 1565, promoted the sophisticated image of the family, thanks to the great impact caused, admired for its ingenuity and originality.

Unlike other European corridors of the time, conceived for defensive or secret purposes, the Vasarian corridor was conceived, as Funis highlights, as a fuzzy palacean innovative residential system that symbolized the elitist power of the Medici.

The scholar suggests that Vasari was inspired by two Renaissance Roman passages: the so-called little step, which connected the Vatican with Castel Sant’Angelo, and the Bramante corridor, which linked the Vatican palaces with the Belvedere courtyard. However, what sets the Vasarian Corridor apart is its bold passage over the Arno River.

The corridor has witnessed social changes over time. During the German retreat in 1944, Hitler ordered its destruction to be avoided, unlike all the other bridges in Florence, and the passage was also saved, although it suffered partial damage. It was also damaged in the 1993 mafia attack. Today, construction responds to overtourism, offering new experiences in a city transformed into a hotel-city.