I had been wanting to visit the Corridoio Vasariano for a long time. The problem was that to make a reservation and visit the Vasari Corridor there is a minimum of 10 people. When my friend Sarah mentioned that she was getting a group of people together along with her parents who are visiting Florence, I was so happy that Alessandro and I could join her group.
The visit began at 10 a.m. in the Uffizi and we met up with Sarah and her group at 11 a.m. in the Sala Michelangelo for the Cordioio Vasariano. The tour guide first explained the story of the Tondo Doni, which Michelangelo painted for the wedding between Doni and Strozzi.
She then led us to a large door that a guard opened up for us. We entered the frescoed staircase and stopped in front of a damaged painting. The tour guide told us that the painting we were standing in front of was damaged from the 1993 Uffizi bombing. It had been restored as much as possible, but much of the damage was irreparable.
We walked through the corridor as she explained the extensive collection of paintings and self-portraits. I snapped pictures toward the outside almost every time we passed an open window.
The corridor passed along the Arno, above the Ponte Vecchio, through the Santa Felicità church and on the side of other buildings before arriving to the Boboli garden. We exited the door next to the Buontalenti's grotto.
During the visit, the tour guide mentioned Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici when we walked past a portrait of her in the corridor. She said that she was responsible for the Medici collection still being in the museum and corridor. It was interesting since I had never heard of her before and had now seen something about her twice in one week.
The visit wasn't as long as we expected, but we enjoyed it very much. I learned a lot from the tour guide who explained not only the details about the Corridoio Vasariano, but also the artwork on display.
It was especially fun to visit the Corridoio Vasariano with Sarah, her family, and Alessandro. I generally visit the sights alone or with one person, but with the large group and tour guide, it was incredibly pleasurable. I'm thinking I should visit museums with a tour guide more often because I learned a lot today.
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