The Ponte Vecchio over the Arno in Florence — the Vasari Corridor runs above its shops, linking the Uffizi to Palazzo Pitti

Walk the Medici's secret passage above Florence

The Vasari Corridor reopened in December 2024 after eight years closed — a tiny-group, timed-entry walk over the Ponte Vecchio.

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  • 1565 Built by Giorgio Vasari for the Medici
  • ~750 m+ Elevated passage over the Ponte Vecchio (up to ~1 km cited)
  • Dec 2024 Reopened after 8 years closed
  • 25 max Per timed group — capacity-limited

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About Vasari Corridor

The Vasari Corridor — the Corridoio Vasariano — is an elevated, enclosed passage that threads from the Uffizi Galleries, along the Arno, over the top of the Ponte Vecchio and through to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens on the far bank; the Uffizi describe it as about 750 metres long, though it is often cited as up to around a kilometre. It was designed by the painter and architect Giorgio Vasari and built at extraordinary speed in 1565 on the commission of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, to mark the marriage of his son Francesco to Joanna of Austria. Its purpose was political as much as ceremonial: it let the Medici move privately and safely between the seat of government and their residence without ever setting foot in the public street.

For most of its modern life the Corridor was famous for the collection of artists' self-portraits that Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici began hanging here in the 17th century — a collection that eventually grew to hundreds of works. Those self-portraits are no longer part of the route: they have been moved to dedicated rooms inside the main gallery. The reopened Corridor is instead presented as a walk through the structure itself, lined with almost three hundred ancient Greek and Latin marble inscriptions, around fifty Greco-Roman portrait busts of emperors and empresses, and 16th-century frescoes created under Vasari's own direction, with memorial spaces recalling the 1944 destruction of Florence's bridges and the 1993 Via dei Georgofili bombing that damaged this very passage.

The Corridor closed in 2016 and reopened to the public on 21 December 2024 after an eight-year restoration. It is reached only as part of a combined Uffizi + Vasari Corridor ticket, visited Tuesday to Sunday in tiny timed groups — a maximum of 25 people at a time, walking one direction from the Uffizi towards Boboli — and reservation is mandatory. Because the daily capacity is so small and the novelty so high, slots are released on a short horizon and disappear quickly.

The Corridor passes over the Ponte Vecchio, the medieval shop-lined bridge that is one of the most recognisable landmarks of Florence. The whole stage sits inside the Historic Centre of Florence, inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1982 — the Corridor and the bridge are celebrated features within that listing rather than separately inscribed monuments. Tickets are nominative: each one is issued in a named visitor's name and is personal and non-transferable, with the name checked against a physical ID at the entrance. That is exactly why we collect each traveller's name up front and book in-name — so the ticket is valid for the person who walks through the door.

Practical information

Opening hours
Vasari Corridor timed groups run Tuesday to Sunday; the first group of the day enters at 10:15 and the last group at 16:35. Closed Mondays. The combined ticket also admits you to the Uffizi Galleries, which keep their own broader hours (typically Tuesday–Sunday from 08:15).
Entrance
The Vasari Corridor is entered from inside the Uffizi Galleries, from room D19 on the first floor. The walk is one-directional, from the Uffizi over the Ponte Vecchio towards the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens side. Your combined ticket lets you enter the Uffizi first and reach the Corridor entrance in time for your group.
Address
Galleria degli Uffizi, Piazzale degli Uffizi 6, 50122 Florence, Italy. The Corridor begins inside the Uffizi and runs to the Pitti/Boboli side of the Arno.
Getting there
The Uffizi sits beside Piazza della Signoria in the heart of Florence's pedestrian centre. From Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station it is about a 15-minute walk through the old town. The historic centre is a Limited Traffic Zone (ZTL), so most visitors arrive on foot; cameras automatically fine unauthorised vehicles.
Accessibility
The reopened Corridor was rebuilt to be fully accessible, with an integrated system of ramps, platforms and lifts, low-energy LED lighting and toilets at the far end.
Bag policy
Large bags and backpacks must be left in the Uffizi cloakroom before entry. Standard museum security screening applies at the Uffizi entrance.
Photography
Personal photography without flash or tripods is generally permitted along the Corridor. The round windows over the Arno and the view down onto the Ponte Vecchio are the signature shots.

Plan your visit

Practical guides written by our travel team

The Complete Vasari Corridor Visitor Guide

Everything to know before you walk the Medici's private passage over the Ponte Vecchio — its 1565 origins, what is inside since the 2024 reopening, and how the small timed groups work.

The History of the Vasari Corridor

How Giorgio Vasari built the Medici's private passage over Florence in 1565 — and how it survived war, flood and a bombing to reopen in 2024.

The Best Time to Visit the Vasari Corridor

When to come, which season gives the most availability, and how to time the Corridor around the Uffizi — a timing guide to Florence's scarcest walk.

See all 5 guides →

Frequently asked

What is the Vasari Corridor?

The Vasari Corridor (Corridoio Vasariano) is an elevated, enclosed passage that runs from the Uffizi Galleries, along the Arno, over the top of the Ponte Vecchio and through to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens — described by the Uffizi as about 750 metres long, and often cited as up to around a kilometre. It was designed by Giorgio Vasari and built in 1565 for Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, so the Medici family could move privately between the government palace and their residence without entering the public street. It reopened on 21 December 2024 after eight years closed for restoration.

Do I have to buy the Uffizi too?

The Vasari Corridor is sold only as a combined Uffizi + Vasari Corridor ticket — there is no Corridor-only ticket. The good news is the same ticket admits you to the Uffizi Galleries, so you can explore the Uffizi before heading to the Corridor entrance inside the gallery for your timed group.

What will I actually see inside the Corridor?

The reopened route is a walk through the structure itself. Along the way you pass almost three hundred ancient Greek and Latin marble inscriptions, around fifty Greco-Roman portrait busts of emperors and empresses (Augustus, Antoninus Pius, Commodus, the empresses Sabina and Faustina among them), and 16th-century frescoes created under Vasari's direction. There are memorial spaces for the 1944 destruction of Florence's bridges and the 1993 Via dei Georgofili bombing. The famous self-portrait collection that once hung here has been moved into dedicated rooms inside the main gallery.

Can I see the self-portraits in the Corridor?

Not any more. For decades the Corridor was lined with hundreds of artists' self-portraits begun by Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici in the 17th century. During the restoration those works were relocated to dedicated rooms inside the Uffizi's main galleries. The reopened Corridor instead displays ancient inscriptions, Greco-Roman busts and Vasari-era frescoes, with the bare structure and the views over the Arno as the experience.

How long does the visit take, and which direction does it go?

The Corridor walk is one-directional, from the Uffizi over the Ponte Vecchio towards the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens side. Allow roughly 45–60 minutes for the Corridor itself once your group enters, plus however long you spend in the Uffizi beforehand on the same ticket. Groups run Tuesday to Sunday, with the first at 10:15 and the last at 16:35.

Is the Vasari Corridor a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

It sits within one. The Corridor and the Ponte Vecchio it crosses are celebrated features of the Historic Centre of Florence, which UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1982. The Corridor is a landmark within that listing rather than a separately inscribed monument.

How do I get to the Uffizi and the Corridor entrance?

The Uffizi is beside Piazza della Signoria in the heart of Florence's pedestrian centre, about a 15-minute walk from Firenze Santa Maria Novella station. Enter the Uffizi with your combined ticket; the Vasari Corridor begins inside the gallery, from room D19 on the first floor. Arrive in good time so you reach the Corridor entrance before your group's start time.

How does booking work on this site?

This site is an independent visitor guide to Vasari Corridor. When you choose a ticket or tour, you book it directly with GetYourGuide, which takes the payment, issues the ticket and handles any changes or cancellations. We may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you.