VASARI CORRIDOR
Designed by Giorgio Vasari to allow the Grand Dukes to move safely from their private residence in Palazzo Pitti to the government headquarters in Palazzo Vecchio, this elevated passageway—still unique in the world today—was built at the initiative of Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici in 1565 on the occasion of the marriage of his son Francesco to Joanna of Austria. The Habsburg guests accompanying the princess were literally meant to be astonished by this aerial passage above the city; construction works lasted just five months.
The total route measures about 750 meters, starting from the Uffizi and ending near the Buontalenti Grotto in the Boboli Gardens. Along the way, the Corridor crosses streets, runs alongside and over the Arno River, enters palaces, winds around the Torre de’ Mannelli, opens onto the Church of Santa Felicita, offering a sequence of panoramic views of the city that allow one to capture its full beauty.
Access to the Vasari Corridor is possible by purchasing a Uffizi Gallery ticket with a special supplement. The combined Uffizi–Vasari ticket allows those who book a Corridor visit to enter the museum two hours earlier.
It is also possible, for those who already have a Uffizi Gallery ticket, to later add the supplement for the Corridor, provided that there is availability in the scheduled access slots for that day (at a time later than that indicated for entry into the museum).
DAVID
In September 1501, the Florentine Republic commissioned the creation of a statue of King David to celebrate the values of liberty and independence of the Republic. The material chosen for the work was a massive block of Carrara marble, already previously worked and marked by numerous flaws, such as cracks and imperfections, and considered too tall and narrow to yield a well-proportioned human figure. This is where Michelangelo Buonarroti came in: assigned to the project, the artist secluded himself in the courtyard of what is now the Museum of the Opera del Duomo, carving the marble away from prying eyes.
Two years after the first strike of the chisel, the Republic unveiled the nearly completed statue to the public. The reaction of the citizens and city authorities was so enthusiastic that, in May 1504, a special commission of experts was appointed to decide on the ideal placement for the David, which had originally been intended to stand on a buttress of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
DUOMO
The dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, built by Filippo Brunelleschi in Florence, still holds, more than 500 years later, the record as the largest masonry dome in the world. Conceived without the aid of drawings or sketches, its construction secrets remain shrouded in mystery, bearing witness to Brunelleschi’s exceptional architectural genius.
Brunelleschi broke with the conventions of his time, completing the dome in just sixteen years (1420–1436). At a time when architects rarely lived long enough to see their own projects finished, this achievement left contemporaries astonished. Brunelleschi’s swift and unprecedented triumph marked a historic turning point, showcasing his visionary genius and leaving an indelible mark on architectural history.
By using ropes to guide the placement of bricks, Brunelleschi created inverted arches that seemed to defy gravity. This extraordinary design, later analyzed in detail by a critic, is distinguished by its flower-shaped base and has remained intact over time. Fittingly, the name of the cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore (“Saint Mary of the Flower”), though chosen by chance, resonates with the enduring legacy of Brunelleschi’s architectural brilliance.
PONTE VECCHIO
The oldest bridge crossing the Arno in Florence, its origins likely date back to Roman times or even earlier. Rebuilt several times due to floods, the current version of the bridge was constructed between 1339 and 1345. For centuries, it was the second-oldest bridge in the city, after the Rubaconte bridge, built nearly a century earlier. However, that bridge, already heavily modified in the 19th century, was destroyed in 1944 by the Nazis. Since then, Ponte Vecchio has been the oldest surviving bridge in Florence.
In 1938, on the occasion of Adolf Hitler’s official visit on May 9 to seal the Axis between Italy and Germany, Mussolini had large panoramic windows opened in the Vasari Corridor at the center of Ponte Vecchio.
During the retreat of German troops in the Italian campaign, Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge in Florence spared from destruction on the night of August 3–4, 1944, near the end of World War II. That night, Burgassi, an elderly assistant to the goldsmiths—allowed to move freely by the Germans who thought him harmless due to his polio-related disability—witnessed the placement of explosives. Thanks to his sharp mind, he carefully observed and later indicated the points of the fuses, thus contributing to their disarming.
