Florence’s Secret Sixteenth-Century Passageway Opens To Public After 450 Years
New Delhi:
A secret passageway inbuilt 1565 for the ruling Medici household in Florence, Italy, has opened to the general public for the primary time. The two,460-foot Corridoio Vasariano connects three landmarks: Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi Galleries, and Palazzo Pitti, stories CNN.
The passage was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici, the Duke of Florence, and designed by the famend Renaissance painter and architect Giorgio Vasari. Constructed in simply 5 months, the hall supplied a safe and personal route for the Medici rulers to journey between their official workplaces on the Uffizi and their residence at Palazzo Pitti, with out having to stroll by way of the busy streets of Florence. It remained off-limits to everybody besides the Medici household and their closest employees.
The hall is a exceptional architectural feat, that includes a coated walkway with terracotta bricks, massive porthole home windows that provide glimpses of the town, and 106 steps that present entry to totally different components of the cityscape. The passage was additionally crammed with over 1,000 items of artwork from the 18th century.
For a few years, the hall was solely accessible by way of non-public excursions and unique visits, with a steep price for these fortunate sufficient to enter. Nonetheless, in 2016, it was closed for security causes and underwent an intensive renovation. The renovation, which took eight years and value roughly $11.5 million, restored the hall to its former glory.
Now, after almost 5 centuries, the passageway is open to the general public, with tickets priced at 43 euros (Rs 3,828), which additionally grant entry to the Uffizi Galleries, one of many world’s most well-known artwork museums, housing masterpieces by Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, and plenty of extra.
Simone Verde, the director of the Uffizi Galleries, referred to the Vasari Hall as a “legendary place” and a “parallel metropolis throughout the metropolis.” The Medici’s cultural affect, he famous, performed an important function in shaping the Renaissance and had a long-lasting affect on the courts of recent Europe.
At present, guests can tour the Corridoio Vasariano in small teams of 25. The hall affords beautiful views of the town’s structure, together with the well-known Ponte Vecchio, the medieval bridge that spans the Arno River.
