vasari had another important job for the medici family. eleanor, the wife of duke cosimo i, had bought a house. it was by far the biggest house in the city, and was across the river from the uffizi. the medici family was not always popular. the previous duke, alessandro, had been murdered. so to keep the family safe, they needed an escape route from the palazzo vecchio to the pitti palace on the other side of the river. vasari was expected to design it. the escape route is named after its designer. it is called the "vasari corridor".