Ancient Roman Busts Return to the Vasari Corridor on Ponte Vecchio

More than fifty ancient Roman busts—true masterpieces of imperial portraiture—now adorn the Ponte Vecchio section of the Vasari Corridor, one of Florence’s most iconic elevated passageways. These sculptures, once part of the core display at the Uffizi Gallery, had been kept in storage since the 1990s.

The newly installed lineup includes portraits of major historical figures such as the orator Cicero, emperors Augustus, Antoninus Pius, and Commodus, and empresses Sabina (wife of Hadrian) and Faustina (wife of Antoninus Pius). These busts were previously displayed in the Uffizi’s second-floor corridors until 1993, when a curatorial decision aimed at restoring the museum’s eighteenth-century layout led to their removal and relocation to the museum’s deposits.

Many of these sculptures were carefully selected and acquired in the eighteenth century by Luigi Lanzi, then deputy director of the Uffizi, to enrich the collection of imperial Roman portraits. Their reappearance along the Vasari Corridor not only enhances this historic walkway—originally built to connect Palazzo Pitti to the Uffizi—but also marks a significant step in restoring public access to some of the Uffizi’s finest classical works.

The reopening of the Vasari Corridor to the public is part of a broader revitalization effort. After being closed for years, the corridor has recently welcomed visitors again and, during the summer months, is also offering evening access. This allows visitors to admire the corridor and its artworks without purchasing a full ticket to the Uffizi Gallery, making the experience more accessible and inviting during the high season.

This curatorial move, part of the broader vision titled “Future in the Ancient,” continues the museum’s commitment to valorizing its Medici-era archaeological collections. It follows the recent reopening of the hall of ancient marbles on the Uffizi’s second floor and anticipates future projects, including the reconstruction of the historical “Ricetto delle Iscrizioni”, a space once devoted to epigraphic collections.

The Uffizi Galleries’ director Simone Verde highlighted the initiative as a key milestone in reviving the museum’s neoclassical legacy and reaffirming its stature alongside major Roman collections, such as the Capitoline Museums.

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