Mark Megahan
The secret passage was built in the 16th-century for the ruling family of Florence. It’s massive, stretching nearly half a mile through the entire town. That’s because members of the Medici dynasty weren’t about to bump elbows with peasants on their way to work. Today, tourists can use the Vasari Corridor as “a walking trail through the center of the Tuscan city.”
Not so secret passage
In 1565, the passage constructed specifically for Duke of Florence Cosimo I de’ Medici was a secret. It didn’t stay that way for long. It did, however, remain totally exclusive and not open to the riff-raff, including the Medici staff.
Today, for a $45 fee, tourists can stroll the 2,460-foot Corridoio Vasariano. When you get to the Uffizi Galleries, which was once the rulers’ offices, you can tour the art museum they were turned into without extra admission. It’s included with the trail ticket.
One stop along the way is the Church of Santa Felicita, where the noble Medici family attended. The passage provides discreet access direct to the balcony reserved for private use of the nobles.
Also connected are Palazzo Vecchio, which is Florence, Italy’s town hall and Palazzo Pitti, “the palace where the family lived.” That’s where they threw their Pitti parties.
For centuries, Uffizi director Simone Verde relates, the passage was considered a “mythical place for the Western world” and a “parallel city within the city.” The architect was Renaissance painter Giorgio Vasari. He provided the Medici’s with “a covered walkway of terracotta bricks, with large porthole windows and 106 steps.”
It took him a brisk five months. Officially, “Its purpose was to provide the ruling family with a safe way to travel between work and home, and even members of the Medici’s staff were restricted from entering.”
Eight year renovation
Before the public could be turned loose in the Medici’s secret passage, it had to be remodeled. “Prior to Friday’s unveiling, it was sometimes open for exclusive access for a steep fee, but in 2016 it shuttered for safety reasons.”
They also stashed the artwork which used to line the walls. It’s been moved to the gallery for safekeeping and restoration work. The eight year renovation cost around $11.5 million.
The 43 euro ticket cost is well worth it when you visit Uffizi Galleries. You get a peek at “countless treasures by Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio and more.”
Another thing pedestrians along the passage way are treated to is a spectacular view of the Ponte Vecchio. That’s a famous arch bridge over the Arno River.
Back in the day, the corridor was “filled with 1,000 pieces of art from the 18th century.” That underscored “the political family’s connection to culture.” As the gallery director points out, “this was new to the Renaissance — the cultural element of government.” It started a trend.
“The culture created here was the motor for all the courts of modern Europe.” A trip through the secret passage “isn’t just a fantastic destination, but a trip to a vision of the world.“
