# Vasari Corridor, Florence > The Vasari Corridor is a covered passage about a kilometre long that let the Medici dukes walk from the town hall to their palace without setting foot in the street. It starts in the Uffizi, runs across the top of the Ponte Vecchio and ends in the Boboli Gardens by Palazzo Pitti. After a long restoration it's open again on a separate timed ticket; the walk takes about an hour. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/vasari-corridor - City: [Florence](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence), Italy - YesGo score: 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Paid, timed booking - Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday - Length: About 1 km - Route: Uffizi → Ponte Vecchio → Boboli Gardens - Time needed: About an hour - Location: Entrance inside the Uffizi - Coordinates: 43.76900, 11.25638 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1565** — Giorgio Vasari built the corridor (source: English Wikipedia) - **5 months** — was all the building took (source: English Wikipedia) - **c. 1 km** — from Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti (source: English Wikipedia) - **Cosimo I** — first Grand Duke of Tuscany, commissioned it (source: English Wikipedia) - **Late 2024** — the corridor reopened to visitors (source: English Wikipedia) ## History of the Vasari Corridor In **1565** Duke **Cosimo I de' Medici** was preparing the wedding of his son Francesco to Joanna of Austria and wanted to impress the guests. He asked the architect and painter **Giorgio Vasari** to build a covered walkway from the town hall, the [Palazzo Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-vecchio), to the family's new home across the Arno, [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti). Vasari did it in just **five months**. The result was a private route above the city, about a **kilometre** long. The duke could pass between palace and government without going down into the noisy streets or meeting the crowd, while watching everything below through the windows. To Florentines the corridor said a great deal about their rulers, who quite literally walked above everyone else. Rather than knocking houses down, the corridor runs over them, through them or around them. The noble **Mannelli** family refused to demolish their medieval tower by the bridge, so Vasari simply wrapped the passage around it on stone brackets. You can still see the kink from the riverbank. ## Across the Ponte Vecchio The best-known stretch runs right along the top of the [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio): the yellow upper storey with small windows above the shops. The bridge used to be lined with butchers and tanners, and the smell rose straight to the duke. In **1593** **Ferdinando I** moved them out, and only goldsmiths and jewellers have traded there since, which is how the Ponte Vecchio became the golden bridge. Halfway across, the corridor opens into large windows over the Arno. It's the best place to look at the river and the other bridges from above, and in peace: down on the bridge a tide of tourists flows past, while up here there's only your small group. On the far bank the corridor runs over the porch of the church of **Santa Felicita**. Inside, the Medici had their own balcony from which the family heard Mass without mixing with the congregation, and you can still look down into the church through it. ## What to see in the Vasari Corridor - **Windows over the Ponte Vecchio** — the Arno and bridges from above. - **The Mannelli Tower bend** — the corridor skirts the tower outside. - **The Medici balcony in Santa Felicita** — a private box over the nave. - **Roman inscriptions and reliefs** — lining the walls. - **The exit into the Boboli Gardens** — by the Buontalenti Grotto. > **How to get in** Entry is by ticket only, booked for an exact time slot, and groups are small, so places go early, especially from spring to autumn. Book on the official Uffizi website. The route is one way: you start in the Uffizi and come out in the Boboli Gardens, which makes it easy to carry straight on to Palazzo Pitti. ## What's inside today The corridor was closed for years and for a long time housed a collection of artists' self-portraits. It reopened in **late 2024** in a new form: the paintings moved into the Uffizi rooms and the passage itself became the exhibit. The windows were returned to their original size and the walls cleaned, so you now see Vasari's architecture as it was. Ancient Roman inscriptions and reliefs line the way, and the windows give views you can't get from the street: hidden courtyards, tiled roofs, gardens and the Oltrarno hills. The corridor has also been made step-free, so visitors with limited mobility can use it. The walk is one way and takes about an hour at an easy pace. You exit in the [Boboli Gardens](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/boboli-gardens), near the Buontalenti Grotto, ready to wander the gardens or head into the rooms of Palazzo Pitti. ## How to get to the Vasari Corridor 1. The entrance is inside the **Uffizi Gallery**, on Piazzale degli Uffizi by the river. 2. From [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria), 2 minutes on foot. 3. From **Santa Maria Novella** station, 15–20 minutes on foot. 4. The exit is in the Boboli Gardens across the Arno. ## Seeing the corridor from outside If you can't get a ticket, the corridor is still worth looking at from outside, for free. The best viewpoints are the embankment by the **Ponte Santa Trinita** or the next bridge upstream, **Ponte alle Grazie**: from there you can follow the yellow gallery along the river from the Uffizi, up onto the Ponte Vecchio and away between the houses on the far side. Walk across the Ponte Vecchio itself and look up: the corridor's little round and square windows run above the jewellers' shops. On the far bank, in the small square outside Santa Felicita, you can see the passage running straight over the church entrance. It all pairs nicely with sunset on the Arno. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Book a ticket early on the official Uffizi site - [ ] Arrive 15 minutes before your slot - [ ] Look at the Arno from the windows over the bridge - [ ] Find the Medici balcony in Santa Felicita - [ ] Explore the Boboli Gardens when you come out ## Florence's historic sights: compare and choose Squares, palaces and churches in Florence rated by YesGo. - [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Free; dome paid - [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free - [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free - [Palazzo Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-vecchio) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Courtyard free, museum paid - [Uffizi Gallery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · Paid - [Santa Croce](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-croce) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Paid - [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid - [Santa Maria Novella](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-maria-novella) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Florence Baptistery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-baptistery) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Combined cathedral pass - [Basilica of San Lorenzo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-lorenzo) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid - [Vasari Corridor](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/vasari-corridor) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid, timed entry - [Palazzo Medici Riccardi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-medici-riccardi) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Orsanmichele](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/orsanmichele) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Laurentian Library](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/laurentian-library) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid - [Santo Spirito](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santo-spirito) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Galleria dell'Accademia](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/galleria-dell-accademia) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid - [Medici Chapels](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/medici-chapels) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [San Miniato al Monte](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-miniato) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Brancacci Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/brancacci-chapel) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid, timed entry - [Giotto's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/giottos-campanile) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Combined cathedral pass - [Bargello](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/bargello) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid - [Palazzo Strozzi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-strozzi) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Courtyard free, exhibitions paid - [Museo Galileo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/museo-galileo) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid - [Boboli Gardens](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/boboli-gardens) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Paid - [Fiesole](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/fiesole) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Town free, ruins paid ## The Medici route in a day Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi, the Vasari Corridor over the Ponte Vecchio, then Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. 1. [Palazzo Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-vecchio) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Courtyard free, museum paid 2. [Uffizi Gallery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · Paid 3. [Vasari Corridor](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/vasari-corridor) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid, timed entry 4. [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid 5. [Boboli Gardens](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/boboli-gardens) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Paid ## Don't mix it up The Vasari Corridor isn't a separate museum with its own ticket office; it's an extension of the Uffizi, with tickets and entry through the gallery. Vasari also designed the Uffizi building itself, which is why his name turns up twice. ## Tips - Book your ticket well ahead. - In via the Uffizi, out in Boboli. - The outside is free to see. - Best view: the windows over the bridge. ## Questions ### What is the Vasari Corridor? A covered passage about a kilometre long built in 1565 for the Medici, from Palazzo Vecchio through the Uffizi and over the Ponte Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti. ### Is the Vasari Corridor open? Yes, it reopened after restoration in late 2024; entry is by timed ticket. ### How do I get Vasari Corridor tickets? From the official Uffizi website; places are limited, so book well ahead. ### Where is the entrance to the Vasari Corridor? Inside the Uffizi Gallery; the exit is in the Boboli Gardens by Palazzo Pitti. ### How long is the Vasari Corridor walk? About an hour one way at an easy pace. ## How we checked History and route from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Vasari Corridor - Official Uffizi Galleries site, uffizi.it --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.