General view

Vasari received his largest architectural commissions in 1559-62, among them the Uffizi in Florence, a building to house the offices of 13 administrative authorities then scattered about Florence. Vasari designed two long wings, stretching from the Piazza della Signoria to the river, where they terminate in a linking wing. The upper floor, which was not connected to the rooms below, was probably originally intended for the use of the Duke. It was given a new function in 1565, as part of the passage (Corridoio Vasariano) linking the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti across the river.

The Vasari Corridor (Corridoio Vasariano) is an elevated enclosed passageway. Beginning on the south side of the Palazzo Vecchio, it then joins the Uffizi Gallery and leaves on its south side, crossing the Lungarno dei Archibusieri and then following the north bank of the River Arno until it crosses the river at Ponte Vecchio. The corridor covers up part of the fa�ade of the Church of Santa Felicità. The corridor then snakes its way over rows of houses in the Oltrarno district, becoming narrower, to finally join the Palazzo Pitti.

In its Uffizi section, the Vasari Corridor is used to exhibit the museum’s famous collection of self-portraits.

The photo shows the Ponte Vecchio with the Vasari Corridor.