Florence Private Guide

Florence Private GuideVasari Corridor Florence – Walk the Secret Medici Passageway

The length for this private Tour is 40 minutes

Discounted tour rates in euro, per group

1-2 people	3 people	4 people	5 people	6 people	7 people
50,00	55,00	60,00	65,00	70,00	75,00

* admission fees not included

Accepted Payment Methods

The city waited 8 years for the Vasari Corridor to reopen, and finally it’s here!

8 years to adapt the Corridor to new and more stringent legal requirements, including a new emergency exit and… excellent air conditioning!

History:

The Vasari Corridor, about half a mile long, was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, and built from March 1565 to December of the same year. Correct… in less than a year!!

The architect was Giorgio Vasari, from whom it takes its name. The same architect of the Uffizi.

Why the Corridor:

Cosimo I commissioned the Corridor for three reasons:

The official reason was to celebrate the wedding of his son Francesco and Giovanna of Austria.
The second reason was certainly dictated by the need for greater personal safety and that of his family.
The third reason, no less important, was to ensure that his subjects didn’t see the Grand Duke too often, and thus his person acquired greater value the few times he did appear.

Route:

The Vasari Corridor starts at the Palazzo Vecchio (City Hall) and enters the Uffizi Gallery (which at that time was not a museum but the seat of the so-called 13 “Magistratures” of Tuscany, today we would call them Ministries).

The Corridor exits the Uffizi Gallery at the Arno River, crosses it, passing over the Ponte Vecchio (YES!! The Vasari Corridor passes over Florence’s most iconic bridge with its jewelers’ shops), and then arrives in Oltrarno, the authentic neighborhood of Florence (those who live in Oltrarno are sure to be true Florentines… guess where I live!!)

The Vasari Corridor ends at the Boboli Garden inside the Pitti Palace (another ticket is required to access the Pitti Palace complex).

The Pitti Palace was sold by the Pitti family to the Medici family.

Currently, only the section from the Uffizi Gallery to the Pitti Palace is open to visitors.

What’s in the Vasari Corridor:

The Vasari Corridor houses an important collection of Roman busts, which are currently only located in the section that passes over the Ponte Vecchio.

The rest of the Corridor is currently empty.

But the fact that most of the Corridor is empty shouldn’t discourage you from visiting, because we’ll see it exactly as the Medici family saw it.

A very beautiful and unique part of the Vasari Corridor is where it must bypass the medieval Tower House of the Mannelli family.

The Corridor can only bypass it because the Mannelli family refused permission to enter their Tower House.

Incredibly, the Grand Duke accepted their refusal.

In the section immediately after the Mannelli’s Tower House, we’ll even be able to glimpse inside the Church of Santa Felicita.

The Medici family had “of course” a private access to the church, separate from the rest of the public — and we’ll have the same view.

Exit:

The exit of the Vasari Corridor is at the Buontalenti’s Grotto (which is part of the Boboli Garden) inside the Pitti Palace.

The Buontalenti’s Grotto is a masterpiece of Mannerist culture!

My private tour of the Vasari Corridor:

The Vasari Corridor tour lasts about 40 minutes.

We won’t be alone because we’ll be part of a larger group of about 20 people, and there will be two Uffizi Gallery staff members who will accompany the group throughout the Corridor. This is why we can’t decide the length of the tour.

Important:

It’s important to book tickets for the Vasari Corridor as soon as possible because tickets sell out very quickly.

You also need to book tickets for the Uffizi Gallery, but I can help you to do it!!