Once the corridor/bridge traverses the Arno it 'disappears' into a medieval house …. when it does emerge it slithers around a medieval tower …. at a certain point it straightens out and adheres to the Church of Santa Felicita to become part of the church's facade …. from within the church the corridor presents itself as a viewing balcony into the interior of the church before it maneuvers through and between medieval houses paralleling the major street that leads up to the Pitti Palace ….

EXCERPT

The corridor of Vasari is a most unusual moment of architecture. It was constructed in five months for a Medici wedding in the year 1565. It was devised as a 'skyway' or elevated walkway to connect the Palazzo Vecchio via the Uffizi Galleries .... to the Boboli Gardens of the Pitti Palace across the Arno River. Elusive and almost disguised—unless one is aware of it—the ‘corridoio’ snakes its way around and negotiates Florence transforming itself as it comes into contact with the urban fabric …. the corridor traverses the Uffizi ….. descends as a stair and re-emerges to become an enclosed upper level walkway supported by an open arcade/enfilade below that parallels the Arno .… the covered walkway takes a sharp turn to the left …. and …. metamorphoses into the upper level of the Ponte Vecchio …. becoming now a bridge.

The corridor bangs into the fortified palace and emerges on the other side transformed into an elevated rustic, pebbly garden wall …. mysteriously it changes character again …. becomes a stair that leads to a very small, disguised door that opens into the Boboli Gardens adjacent to a fantastic, shell encrusted grotto, designed by Buontalenti.

Think about it: the city's urban fabric and a garden are joined by a 'line' that wiggles and changes its identity, from stair to portico to bridge to church facade …. a viewing balcony, wall again, stair again, to a small door …. emerging to the sounds of rushing water and a moss covered grotto.

An extraordinary passageway.

Judith DiMaio is a widely-published author of essays on aspects of art and architecture —her essays have been included in the pocket guides, ‘City Secrets: The Essential Insider's Guide’ specifically the volumes on Rome; Paris; and Florence and Venice. Series editor: Robert Kahn.

Click on the three city names, below, or click on the book covers to the right, to read excerpts from the respective travel guide.