The Vasari Corridor

The Vasari Corridor was built by the celebrated architect Giorgio Vasari in just five months during 1565 to enable the Grand Dukes to move freely – and safely – from the seat of government Palazzo Vecchio to their residence in Palazzo Pitti.

On 21 December 2024 the Vasari Corridor of the Uffizi reopens. It has been closed since 2016 to allow for the necessary adaptation to the latest safety regulations.Visitors, starting from a special entrance on the first floor from the Uffizi, will walk over the Ponte Vecchio, so as to reach, across the Arno, the Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace.

Restored today to its original bareness, it shows itself to the visitor as a simple ‘air tunnel’, more than seven hundred metres long over the heart of the city, exactly as it appeared at the time when the lords of Florence used to walk through it to reach Palazzo Vecchio, undisturbed and safe, from their residence in Pitti Palace, in a very short time.

The Corridor was created to guarantee a safe and fast connection between the two palaces for Grand Duke Cosimo I; to realise it, important interventions were made on the urban structure, for example transferring the meat market that took place on the Ponte Vecchio elsewhere, to avoid unpleasant odours; the goldsmiths' shops, still present today, were moved in its place.
Some houses were expropriated, even an internal passageway was created above the façade of the church of Santa Felicita, so that the grand ducal family could attend services unseen, thanks to a balcony protected by a grille inside the church.

From the windows of the Corridor, which are clearly visible along the route and also above the Ponte Vecchio, one enjoys unprecedented views of the city.

How to visit the Vasari Corridor

The Vasari Corridor can be accessed by purchasing the Uffizi Gallery ticket with an extra charge of €43. Reservation is required €4. With the combo ticket visitors can enter the Uffizi two hours before the scheduled Vasariano tour, to visit the museum.

The Vasariano will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, at the time booked, one group at a time, for a maximum of 25 people (plus two staff members), from room D19 on the first floor of the gallery. Last admittance at 4.35 pm.
The Corridor can only be visited from the Uffizi to Boboli Gardens: visitors will exit through the door next to the Grotta Buontalenti, to be accompanied to the exit from the courtyard of Pitti Palace. It will not be possible to book more than 5 tickets at a time, even for different dates. On the ticket there will be a link to the map with the route to reach the access gate to the Corridor.