The Vasari Corridor, a passage dug almost 500 years ago in the Ponte Vecchio in Florence to allow the Medici to secretly cross the Arno river, will reopen its doors on Saturday after eight years of closure, the Uffizi Museum announced on Friday.
A jewel of the Italian Renaissance, closed since 2016, this 750 meter long passage has been completely renovated to meet safety standards and will be accessible to the general public, upon reservation required, for an entry ticket of 43 euros which also allows you to visit the Uffizi Gallery.
Along a panoramic walk spanning the Arno in the heart of Florence, visitors can take a route linking the Gallery of Statues and Paintings to the Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace.
The secret passage of the powerful
“Visitors who wish will be able to pass from one bank of the Arno to the other, appreciating in all its extent the immensity, the coherence and the richness of the Medici citadel (built in the time of the Medici, Editor's note) of power and the arts”rejoiced the director of the Uffizi, Simone Verde, quoted in a press release from the museum.
Italy: in Florence, the rebirth of the Arno
The work cost around 10 million euros.
Built by the architect Giorgio Vasari in 1565, the Corridor allowed the sovereigns of Florence to reach the Palazzo Vecchio from their Pitti Palace in complete discretion and security.
Its 73 windows offer a breathtaking view of the historic center of Florence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, its reopening “offers Florence and Italy a masterpiece within a masterpiece” et “a breathtaking panoramic walk in the heart of an unrivaled city”.
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