Secret passageway in Florence reopens after refit

Published December 21, 2024 Updated December 21, 2024 07:12am
A view of the interior of the Vasari Corridor gallery, in the centre of Florence, during a press preview before its opening to the public on Saturday.—AFP
A view of the interior of the Vasari Corridor gallery, in the centre of Florence, during a press preview before its opening to the public on Saturday.—AFP

FLORENCE: A secret passageway built 500 years ago to allow the ruling Medici family to pass through the Italian city of Florence unhindered reopens to the public on Saturday after a 10-million-euro restoration.

The Vasari Corridor, which is more than 700 metres (nearly half a mile) long and runs above the famous Ponte Vecchio, has been closed for eight years.

Designed in 1565 by Giorgio Vasari, a commission by Duke Cosimo I to mark his son’s wedding, the corridor begins at what is now the Uffizi Galleries and ends up in the Pitti Palace, across the Arno river.

Its 73 windows offer unrivalled views over the city centre, a Unesco World Heritage site, and will now finally be accessible to the general public.

It had since the 1970s held the large collection of the Uffizi’s self-portraits, but was closed in 2016 to allow for upgrades to meet modern safety standards.

“Now restored to its original simplicity, the corridor presents itself to visitors as a plain `aerial tunnel’,” the Uffizi said in a statement on Friday.

It passes above the heart of the city, “just as it appeared when the Florentine rulers used it for quick, safe, and uninterrupted passage between their residence and the seat of government”.

The works, which began in 2022, include new disability access, emergency exits, energy-efficient LED lighting and video surveillance.

“After an eight-year wait, the reopening of the Vasari Corridor returns a masterpiece within a masterpiece to Florence and Italy,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Strange claim
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Strange claim

In all likelihood, Pakistan and US will continue to be ‘frenemies'.
Media strangulation
21 Dec, 2024

Media strangulation

AEMEND, in a recent statement, has only now drawn attention to the reality that has plagued Pakistani media for a...
Israeli rampage
21 Dec, 2024

Israeli rampage

ALONG with the genocide in Gaza, Israel has embarked on a regional rampage, attacking Arab and Muslim states with...
Tax amendments
Updated 20 Dec, 2024

Tax amendments

Bureaucracy gimmicks have not produced results, will not do so in the future.
Cricket breakthrough
20 Dec, 2024

Cricket breakthrough

IT had been made clear to Pakistan that a Champions Trophy without India was not even a distant possibility, even if...
Troubled waters
20 Dec, 2024

Troubled waters

LURCHING from one crisis to the next, the Pakistani state has been consistent in failing its vulnerable citizens....