Vasari Corridor roof collapses in Florence

FLORENCE

The Vasari Corridor connects the Palazzo Vecchio with Palazzo Pitti.

Emergency restoration work started today on a section of Florence’s famous Vasari Corridor, after some plaster and tiles fell from the roof on Aug 16, according to Art Newspaper. The damage occurred in the section of the raised corridor that passes next to the church of Santa Felicita, just over the Ponte Vecchio, on the south side of the river Arno.

It is reported that no one was hurt, and museum professionals are already establishing the best course of action to restore the damage to the building.

Around 10 portraits have been removed from the walls as a precaution while restoration work begins, but the popular tourist site will remain open.

Coincidentally, the same portion of the corridor was due to be closed most of next month while curators install a series of self-portraits of 20th-century and contemporary artists for an exhibition that is scheduled to open at the end of September.

A long passage

The Vasari Corridor is a long, raised passageway that connects the Palazzo Vecchio, in Piazza della Signoria, with Palazzo Pitti, on the other side of the river Arno. It passes through and along some of Florence’s most important landmarks, such as the Uffizi galleries, the Ponte Vecchio and the Boboli Gardens. It was designed and built in 1564 by Giorgio Vasari, the quintessential renaissance man, artist, architect and writer, to allow Cosimo de Medici and the rest of the Florentine elite to walk safely through the city, reported Art Newspaper.