Fun Facts about Tuscany – Corridoio Vasariano

Panoramic views are magical, aren’t they?
Imagine the possibility to wonder undisturbed around a city, walking on an elevated passage and observing the city life with an external prospective. When the sight is the capital of renaissance, the plan is even more enchanting. If you think that the plan of walking on an elevated path looks like a dream, you should know that Cosimo I de’ Medici made this dream come true and he commissioned the building of the famous Corridoio Vasariano.

Do you want to know more about this? Then keep on reading because we are about to reveal you some fun facts. The famous Vasari Corridor owes its name to the architect who projected it: Giorgio Vasari.
The job was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici and take notice: it was a wedding present to celebrate the marriage between Francesco de’ Medici and Giovanna D’Austria. Well, we can say Cosimo’s son did not have to worry about unwanted gifts because his father did not lack originality and obviously he spared no expense.

The corridor is an elevated path which connects Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti and at the time it was very useful because it allowed the Medici to reach the government palace avoiding the dangers and the chaos of the city life.
Well it sounds like everything went as planned, but like every great project worthy of its name, it implied obstacles and problems. In order to complete the corridor, Vasari had to destroy many buildings that obstacled the construction. The Mannelli family, who owned a tower situated near Ponte Vecchio, did not agree with the plan and decided not to allow the destruction of the tower. Vasari decided to add a little variation to the original project, and he planned to build the corridor around the Mannelli tower in order to avoid the problem.
The job was commissioned in 1565 and he was completed in…. five months. Yes, you read it right, Vasari needed just 5 months to complete one of the most famous works of architecture!

And there is more good news: the Vasari Corridor will be opened to visitors in 2021! You
will have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Florence from above and trust us it will be worth the waiting.