The Vasari Corridor (Italian: Corridoio Vasariano) is an elevated enclosed passageway in Florence which connects the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti, passing over the Uffizi Gallery and the Ponte Vecchio; most of it is closed to visitors.
Contents |
History and overview
The Vasari Corridor was built in 5 months by order of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici in 1565, to the design of Giorgio Vasari. It was commissioned in connection with the marriage of Cosimo's son, Francesco, with Johanna of Austria.
The idea of an enclosed passageway was motivated by the Grand Duke's desire to move freely between his residence and the government palace, when, like most monarchs of the period, he felt insecure in public, in his case especially because he had replaced the Republic of Florence. The meat market of Ponte Vecchio was moved to avoid its smell reaching into the passage, its place being taken by the goldsmith shops that still occupy the bridge. At the latter extremity, the corridor was forced to pass around the Mannelli's Tower, after the staunch opposition of that family to its destruction.
In the middle of Ponte Vecchio the corridor is characterized by a series of panoramic windows facing the Arno, in direction of the Ponte Santa Trinita. These replaced the smaller windows of the original construction in 1939, by order of Benito Mussolini.
After the Ponte Vecchio the Corridor passes over the loggiato of the church of Santa Felicita; at that point it had a balcony, protected by a thick railing, looking into the interior of the church, in order to allow the Grand Duke's family to follow services without mixing with the populace.
In its Uffizi section the Vasari Corridor is used to exhibit the museum's famous collection of self-portraits.
Gallery
 Beginning in Palazzo Vecchio. |
 Passage over Via della Ninna and entrance in the Uffizi. |
 Passage in the galleries of Uffizi's uppermost floor. |
 Exit from the Uffizi. |
 Covered passage on the Lung'arno towards Ponte Vecchio. |
 Exterior view of the Corridor on the Lungarno degli Archibugieri. |
 Curve on the Ponte Vecchio. |
 Passage over the Arno on Ponte Vecchio. |
 Turn around at the Mannelli Tower. |
 Looking from the Vasari Corridor onto Ponte Vecchio. |
 Passage over Lungarno Torrigiani. |
 Passage over the church of Santa Felicita. |
 Balcony in Santa Felicita. |
 Looking into the church of Santa Felicita. |
 Passage on the left of the Grotta del Buontalenti. |
 Arrival in Palazzo Pitti. |
See also
External links
-
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: - Page at Florence Museums
- Description of the Corridor (Italian)
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 13 October 2008, at 08:32.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by PediaView.com. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with PediaView.com.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Vasari Corridor".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.