The church beneath the corridor

From this little square you can see where the corridor from the last stop is heading. It comes from the bridge, runs along the houses on the right, then crosses straight over the front of this church, resting on a row of arches. Look up at the portico and you'll see the wall with small windows sitting on top of it.

Santa Felicita is one of the oldest churches in Florence. As far back as the fourth century this spot held a burial ground for Greek and Syrian merchants, who brought Christianity with them from the east long before there was any town of note on the other side of the river.

When Vasari built his corridor, he reached a church that the family needed every day. So Cosimo I, the first grand duke of Tuscany, had an opening made in the wall, letting the corridor open onto a balcony that hangs high up in the nave. From there the court followed the mass, with a view of the altar and screened off from the worshippers below.

The church is free to enter and closes for a few hours around midday. Inside, a story is waiting for you about that balcony, and about a painting in the first chapel on the right that works with colours you won't come across in any other church in the city.