Firenze Redux?

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I read with interest in yesterday's Guardian newspaper that the passageway that crosses the River Arno in Florence [Firenze] and which lies within the upper part of the Ponte Vecchio, is about to re-open, now fully-publicly, for the first time since 2016. Connecting The Uffizi, once the seat of government, and now the world-renowned gallery of art; and the Palazzo Pitti, built at ruinous expense to himself and his family in the late 1450s, by Luca Pitti, it was later sold into the ownership of the Medici dynasty by Luca's unfortunate heirs, passing it on to Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I. This private passageway between the two centres, at around 750 metres long, was commissioned in 1565 by Cosimo de' Medici, of Giorgio Vasari, architect; born in Arezzo in 1511. The intention of the Corridoio Vasariano, was to facilitate easy and unhindered passage for Cosimo et al from the seat of administrative power of the city to the Palazzo, avoiding the Hoi Polloi, and obviating potential attempts on their lives by political enemies.

Now, Giorgio Vasari's most famous and enduring work was his "The Lives of The Artists" originally published in 1550 - the "Torrentino" edition; it gave, in a series of essays, insights into the lives of the great Italian artists, from the Duecento to the Quattrocento; from Cimabue to Titian - the Italian Renaissance bookended. Within its pages is the life of Filippo Brunelleschi, architect, designer, goldsmith and sculptor, 1377-1446: the discoverer of linear perspective in painting. His magnum opus, however - as if perspective was not enough of an achievement on its own - was the dome of the Duomo of Florence - the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori - which was eventually completed in 1436, having taken fourteen years to finish [the convoluted story of its protracted gestation is told in the excellent "Brunelleschi's Dome" by Ross King; ISBN 0-701-16903-6, Chatto & Windus, 2000].

Which brings me in some tortuous fashion to my brief but intense experience(s) of the city, about which I scribbled a piece in May 2020. This newly-available architectural affordance to me suggests that it might be a good idea to step up to the plate and revisit Italy sometime soon before I get too old to do so or simply drop off my perch...




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