Or, A Warning to the Curious…
Or, Always Read the Small Print…
Florence is one of those cities that I wish I loved a little bit more than I do. It’s not much more than a couple of hours away from us by train but we don’t visit that often. The reason? We quite like it, but we don’t love it. Yes, Venice is overcrowded, but Florence feels like that as well, only with cars. It feels like slightly hard work.
Against that, you have to set the fact that it’s a city absolutely jam-packed full of Really Great Stuff. And that might be reason enough for a visit in itself.
January, then, would seem the ideal time to go. And, more than that, we’ve found that there’s the chance to visit the Vasari Corridor. It leads from the Uffizi and above the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti. Commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici to a design by Giorgio Vasari, the idea was to minimise the time the Duke would have to spend in public – for reasons of safety rather than vanity – whilst moving between his home and the offices of government. They put it together in just five months in 1465.
Perhaps most excitingly, it grew to house a collection of over 1000 paintings by the great and good, including a unique collection of self-portraits by Rosalba Carriera, Rubens, Van Dyck, Vasari himself and many, many others. From 2013 onwards, 20th Century works were added including Chagall, de Chirico and Beuys.
Private group tours became available in recent years, before the corridor closed for renovation in 2016. And now it’s been opened again to the general public. This, therefore, was an opportunity not to be missed.
The day arrives. We set off at a not-unholy hour of the morning, making sure Mimi has sufficient food and drink to survive the day (as ever, she inspects her facilities before giving us her familiar “I suppose this will do” look) and take the Frecciarossa down to Florence. There’s time for lunch – a splendid plate of meats and cheeses and a spritz. and then we’re off for the main event.
I head for my favourite room in the Uffizi, which is probably my favourite room in any gallery, anywhere. The one that holds the three Maestà of Giotto, Duccio and Cimabue. And I notice that Cimabue is under a transparent plastic sheet. I ask an attendant if it’s about to be restored. She tells me that there’s a lot of electrical maintenance work going on in the gallery and so lots of works are under wraps. They chose a transparent wrap for this one so that the room at least has the illusion of looking as it was.
Fair enough. I wander onwards and notice that this is the case in many of the rooms. Indeed, some of the paintings are wrapped up completely and can’t be seen at all. Now, you might think this would spoil the experience, but that’s not the case. Because a combination of the ongoing work and the time of year means the gallery is – if not exactly empty – surprisingly uncrowded. The Leonardo room, where viewing the paintings is normally akin to a contact sport, is remarkably quiet. And this is the case throughout the museum. Despite the fact that there are works in almost every room that can’t be seen, this might be my best visit ever.
Then it’s time to make our way downstairs to the room adjoining the Cappellina Veneziana, the starting point of our journey across the Vasari Corridor. Centuries of great artworks await us…
Except…
…we’re in a corridor. A bare corridor. Ah, well, this is obviously just the entrance. We turn right at the end, and that’s probably where everything starts and so…
Nothing. Except an empty corridor.
Caroline asks, politely I should stress, where the artworks are.
The guide looks faintly embarrassed. There aren’t any on display at the moment and there are unlikely to be for another two to three years.
This, frankly, is a bit of a blow. I consider getting cross, but it’s not her fault and, I think, it’s entirely possible we just didn’t read the small print. We have paid, it seems, for a 25 minute supervised walk down a bare corridor. Yes, the views are nice and you get a look down into the interior of the church of Santa Felicita , but I’m not sure that’s enough on its own. There are lots of nice views in Florence which you can see for free just by wandering around. We have paid, it seems, 43 euros a head to walk down a corridor.
Okay, that’s a little unfair. That 43 euros does also allow you two hours in the Uffizi itself (possibly more as you probably won’t be checked once you’re inside). And, as I said, this is actually a pretty good time to visit.
We could get pissed off about this but decide not to. We’ve had a nice lunch, a walk around Florence and a couple of hours in one of the greatest galleries in the world. More than that, I think, it’s probably our fault anyway. We must have forgotten to check. So we do what we always do when faced with slightly disappointing situations. We go for a spritz and find a bar – the Caffe Amerini – with lovely friendly staff not too far from the station. We’re not paying Venetian prices here but that doesn’t matter. We are, after all, the people who’ve paid 43 euros to walk down a corridor.
Upon returning, I decide to check if we had, indeed, forgotten to check the small print. And what do you know? Halfway down the page, there it is :-
“Riportato oggi alla sua originaria nudità…”
Or, on the English page :-
“Restored to its original simplicity”
Both of which I think are understating things just a little bit when a “No art to be seen here, lads” might have been preferable.
So, should you go? Well, for us it was a relatively short journey. Those travelling from further afield might well feel short-changed. Yes, there’s the chance to see the corridor as it hasn’t been seen before. Yes, the views are impressive. If that’s sufficient, then go ahead. Just be aware, that’s all.
As ever, Caveat emptor, folks!
Philip Gwynne Jones 
I laughed out loud when I got to “understating things just a little bit”. And you’ve done more than a little bit in warning the unwary. Thanks, Philip. I’m glad you had a nice lunch and a fine visit to the Uffizi.
Elaine
>
LikeLike
I can understand your frustration…You ended up having a good day but why on earth can’t they be honest about the experience…
LikeLike
In my experiences of visiting Florence I have found those employed to work at the ticket offices of sites of historic and artistic interest to be unhelpful at best and downright rude at worst.
We visited three years in a row when my father in law, who was HMI for UK fine art education, was undertaking his research into Renaissance art and perspective and I wrote to the Uffizi to request access for him to visit il Corridoio and have yet to receive a reply. He has been dead now for over 12 years so I guess it’s unlikely ever to arrive.
I also booked online to go into the Uffizi and when I arrived clutching what I thought was the necessary paperwork I was simply refused entry and told that I must join the extremely lengthy queue.
The most annoying experience of all, however, was when we drove from our agri-turismo base near Colle di Val d’Elsa some 30 odd miles south in order to visit S.Lorenzo church. As you indicate traffic is horrendous in Florence and parking like the holy grail for motorists but we finally found a tiny space near the market and well placed for the church.
After much to-ing and fro-ing I finally squeezed into the spot only to notice four policemen leaning on the wall opposite, looking at me through their sunglasses whilst smoking their cigarettes. Just about to get out of the car one threw down his smoke and crossed the road, signalling me to wind down my window. On doing this he said just two words, ‘No parking.’
You are correct, it is beautiful but I have been there five times now, the last staying on the Arno for five days whilst reading ‘A Room with. a View’. I loved the book but I find it extremely hard to love the city. The Florentines can keep it, I’m done with it.
LikeLike
In my experiences of visiting Florence I have found those employed to work at the ticket offices of sites of historic and artistic interest to be unhelpful at best and downright rude at worst.
We visited three years in a row when my father in law, who was HMI for UK fine art education, was undertaking his research into Renaissance art and perspective and I wrote to the Uffizi to request access for him to visit il Corridoio and have yet to receive a reply. He has been dead now for over 12 years so I guess it’s unlikely ever to arrive.
I also booked online to go into the Uffizi and when I arrived clutching what I thought was the necessary paperwork I was simply refused entry and told that I must join the extremely lengthy queue.
The most annoying experience of all, however, was when we drove from our agri-turismo base near Colle di Val d’Elsa some 30 odd miles south in order to visit S.Lorenzo church. As you indicate traffic is horrendous in Florence and parking like the holy grail for motorists but we finally found a tiny space near the market and well placed for the church.
After much to-ing and fro-ing I finally squeezed into the spot only to notice four policemen leaning on the wall opposite, looking at me through their sunglasses whilst smoking their cigarettes. Just about to get out of the car one threw down his smoke and crossed the road, signalling me to wind down my window. On doing this he said just two words, ‘No parking.’
You are correct, it is beautiful but I have been there five times now, the last staying on the Arno for five days whilst reading ‘A Room with. a View’. I loved the book but I find it extremely hard to love the city. The Florentines can keep it, I’m done with it.
LikeLike
Heh, great story Steve (and that was a lovely thing to try and do for your father-in-law)
LikeLike
Oh well for first timers the visit to the Uffizi will be worth the price of admission. Then we will get to walk in the very place Medici’s and other noblility traversed and tour the Pitti Palace and gardens!
LikeLike
Exactly, and for that I’d say yes, it’s worth doing!
LikeLike
How annoying! As someone with an Art History background myself, I’d be … rather cross!
LikeLike
Yeah, frustrating to say the least. The information was there to be found if you googled hard enough but, crucially, *not on the actual booking page*
LikeLike
Really have enjoyed all your novels so far, first read the account where you and Caroline struggled to establish yourselves in Venice, then all the novels. As we’ve had a cat very dominant like Gramesci, (He was Gus), and ‘tho we’ve never lived in Venice, most years until recenty we’d spend a a few weeks there, each year at a hotel just off Campo San Sophia, so many bits of your stories are so good to read, and take us back there….. (sighs)
Do hope you don’t leave the Honorary consul alone for ever. We enjoy it.
Ella B
LikeLike
Many, many thanks! And don’t worry, Nathan will be returning next year!
LikeLike
I seem to have several friends traveling to Italy this year, and excited about walking the corridor. I’ve explained the lack of art to them, and dissuaded one from paying the surcharge. They’ll still visit the Uffizi. The other accepts the lack of art but was grateful to be told. So thank you, from Canada!
LikeLike
I seem to have several friends traveling to Italy this year, and excited about walking the corridor. I’ve explained the lack of art to them, and dissuaded one from paying the surcharge. They’ll still visit the Uffizi. The other accepts the lack of art but was grateful to be told. So thank you, from Canada!
LikeLike
No problems. I’d say forewarned is forearmed…I wouldn’t discourage people from doing it as long as they know what the situation is!
LikeLike