After Nearly a Decade, a Secret Passage Used by Royals Reopens in Italy

 

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The Vasari Corridor is a one-kilometer raised tunnel above the shops that line the Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s iconic medieval bridge. It was built by Italian architect Giorgio Vasari in 1565 under the direction of Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, ruler of Florence, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, and member of the powerful Medici family. It connected the Uffizi Gallery (the administrative center of Florence at the time) to the Pitti Palace (Palazzo Pitti), the luxurious estate of the Medicis. It allowed members of the Medici family to move between government buildings and their sprawling palace without having to mingle with the public. The Vasari Corridor was only for the exclusive and secret use of the Medicis — not even their staff were allowed to use it. It even had a balcony overlooking the interior of the Church of Santa Felicita, so the family could privately attend church services.

After the fall of the Medici family, the corridor was repurposed for artistic and cultural use. By the late 19th century, it was used as an extension of the Uffizi Gallery to display selections from the Medici family’s massive art collection. At some point in the 20th century, it was used to display work from the Uffizi’s priceless collection of self-portraits by renowned artists, including Rembrandt, Velázquez, and Raphael. However, it was only open for special visits and limited guided tours.

The Vasari Corridor (left) connects to the Uffizi Gallery (right). Photo: PeterVrabel/Shutterstock

During WWII, the Ponte Vecchio wasn’t damaged by German bombing — but the Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace were. Those buildings then sat unused for a while, so the Vasari Corridor did, too. Both buildings were eventually repaired, and the tunnel began to be used again on a limited basis. But in 1993, a terrorist car bombing carried out by the Italian Mafia caused significant damage to the Uffizi and surrounding buildings (and killed five people). That, combined with the fact that the 16th-century tunnel didn’t meet modern-day safety standards, led to it being minimally used, and in 2016, it closed entirely.

 

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The 2016 closure was due to safety concerns, though the nature of the tunnel means that it could only be updated so much. The project cost about 11 million euros, spent on items like new emergency exits and ramps, LED lighting, and engineering supports to ensure the tunnel’s integrity. All of the self portraits were also removed from the space, and according to Uffizi Gallery officials, it will stay that way, at least for a while. The bare walls and quiet experience of traversing the tunnel will give visitors a sense of what it was like to use it as a Medici, especially compared to the throngs of people, noise, and hectic energy of the Ponte Vecchio shops below.

The secret passage ends at Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens (but you’ll need a separate ticket to access the gardens). Photo: Hungry_herbivore/Shutterstock

Because the Vasari Corridor can’t be brought to modern safety standards entirely (it’s hard to add emergency exits to a tunnel above a river), the number of people who can visit each day is extremely limited. Only 100 people are allowed every hour, divided into groups of 25 every 15 minutes. It’s open to one-way traffic only, serving as an exit to the gallery. Tickets should be purchased in advance online and are 43 euros (about $45) per person. The walk takes about 45 minutes and is led by two museum staffers. However, it’s not a guided tour — the guides are there to keep the entire group together, as walking on one’s own isn’t allowed, even for ticket holders.

At the end of the tunnel, guests are escorted through the Boboli Gardens to the Pitti Palace’s Ammannati Courtyard. From there, visitor with a ticket can re-enter Boboli Gardens. There’s no turning around in the tunnel, so if you leave anything at the Uffizi Gallery’s coatcheck, you’ll need to return to the Uffizi via the usual public roads to reclaim your items. (Walking between the Ammannati Courtyard and the Uffizi takes about 15 minutes).

At 650 people per day, and the Uffizi open only six days a week, that means a maximum of about 203,000 people per year can see the Vasari Corridor. In contrast, the full Uffizi Gallery saw 2.4 million visitors in 2023. So if you’re hoping to walk in the hallowed halls of the Medicis, make your plans as soon as possible.