Vasarian Corridor and Boboli Gardens

I got to go on a tour of the Vasarian Corridor last weekend. It is a secret passageway that is built above the stores on the Ponte Vecchio and stretches from the Galleria delgi Uffizi to right behind the Pitti Palace. It was built by Vesario for the Medici family as a way for them to get to their offices (that is what the Uffizi used to be and that's where the name comes from) to where they lived (I think) in the Pitti Palace without mixing with the commoners. It was also used as a way for them to escape in case there was an uprising against them. it is a long hallway that is filled with all these different paintings. It also passes through the Santa Felicita as a place where the family could stop and say a few prayers on their way past. I got to take some pictures while I was in the passageway, but we had to keep the flash off because it would ruin the paintings. After we exited the corridor, we were in the Boboli Gardens! This garden is a huge area behind the Pitti Palace with all this statuary and fountains and flowers (most of which were not in bloom yet). We are all definitely planning on going back there and spending the day relaxing in the sun and having a picnic!