A tourist and cultural jewel of Italy, the city of Florence, in Tuscany, will gain yet another reason to be visited: the Vasari Corridor, closed to the public since 2016, will be reopened on December 21, after a series of delays in restoration and security works.
The 750-meter-long corridor connects the Gallerie degli Uffizi, the world's leading Renaissance museum, to Palazzo Pitti, on the other side of the Arno River, via a structure that also passes over the iconic Ponte Vecchio.
The attraction was closed in 2016 to allow for work to be carried out to adapt to safety standards and modernization, but the work suffered several delays and was only recently completed – the reopening was announced for the first half of 2023 and then for May 2024.
Until its closure, the corridor designed by Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century was accessible only on rare group visits booked by tour operators at exorbitant prices, but it will now be opened to the general public.
In addition to new emergency exits, the attraction has gained a system of ramps and elevators, air conditioning, LED lighting and surveillance cameras.
The 700 portraits and self-portraits that were on display in the corridor have been removed and, initially, the place will be just an “aerial tunnel”, without exhibiting works of art.
Admission to the Uffizi with the additional fee for the corridor will cost 43 euros (R$270), and reservations will be mandatory, with opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday. A maximum of 25 people will be allowed every 20 minutes. (HANDLE)
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