The newly opened Vasari Corridor adjacent to the Uffizi Gallery is not an art museum. It is a restored 'corridor' once used by the Medici family to walk above the Ponte Vecchio Bridge from the main palace to the family chapel across the Arno River. My recent experience makes me warn potential visitors that there is no art or artifacts to be seen. Only windows that look out onto the ancient bridge and the river below. The photos of the corridor shown on various websites are dubious at best. After a 45 minutes wait to pass through two security checks (passports are required) a 'tour guide' then walks you across the corridor, which takes about 20 minutes, to the exit at the Boboli Gardens.and that's it for €47. The Vasari Corridor tour is the dumbest museum tour I have ever experienced.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7948 posts
What led you to believe there was art in the corridor ?
I think most people here know that it is just a corridor
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
17156 posts
The corridor was restored to its original appearance as a largely unadorned passageway, as shown in the collection of photographs of the corridor on the Uffizi's website:
https://www.uffizi.it/en/news/the-vasari-corridor-reopening
As stated in just one article (from Conde Nast) regarding the re-opening:
https://www.cntraveler.com/activities/florence/vasari-corridor
"The recent restoration stripped the corridor back to the bare bones of the original structure and installed new lighting thus allowing visitors to focus on the unique views of the Florentine cityscape from the many windows en route.
"Until the most recent closure, the corridor was hung with paintings and prints that famously included a vast selection of portraits. Those are now all gone, and the walkway has returned to its original Spartan look. All the better to appreciate the rarely-seen cityscapes along the way."
Also mentioned in that same article is that the corridor may be the stage for future exhibits and some statuary in the museum's collection.
Anyway, the stars of the show are Vasari's architecture and the various views of the river and city out the windows. The price of your ticket also included the Uffizi Gallery (2 hours before your scheduled visit to the corridor.)
Posted by
Massachusetts
1366 posts
Already been discussed here:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/vasari-corridor-open
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Photos on many websites and videos show art work on the walls. Also pedestals with marble busts of Medici family members. Where did all that go?
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
17156 posts
Bruce, the internet is sort of forever. The problem with that is the vast amount of outdated/incorrect information and imaging out there! Just like not relying on a guidebook - even a 'current' one - for information that can change on a dime, such as hours, closures, entry fees, etc., not relying on just what comes up, say, on a google for imagery is important for managing visual expectations. What comes up may be years out of date. You want to be sure that what you're looking at is as current an image as possible. Sorry for your disappointment.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Perhaps you might provide the Internet with an updated image of the corridor. That might help others to see it's not what it appeared to be just a few months ago.
Posted by
Massachusetts
1366 posts
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
17156 posts
The Uffizi's own website includes a video of the corridor as it appears now. I'd linked it a previous post above, and here it is again with some of the accompanying text.
https://www.uffizi.it/en/news/the-vasari-corridor-reopening
"Now restored to its original simplicity, the corridor presents itself to visitors as a plain “aerial tunnel,” over 700 meters long and passing above the heart of the city – just as it appeared when the Florentine rulers used it for quick, safe, and uninterrupted passage between their residence and the seat of government."
It had been closed since 2016 so its previous appearance with the paintings and busts was more than just a few months ago.