Who knew aI should have a budge item for public toilets in Italy…
It seems strange, but at least they’ve been very clean.
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Thanks - I’m feeling the same way about preferring small town (or maybe even just a winery/lunch stop outside of town) when we drive from Florence to Rome. Siena sounds nice, but I’d prefer something more mellow on the last day. Our rental car (probably small in Europe) with 4 people will likely be packed to the gills with luggage / backpacks. I’ve pointed out to my husband that we might even get stressed about leaving it a few hours in an outer parking lot.
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I might be hesitant to leave the packed car in the lots outside Siena. We were a bit nervous leaving the luggage in on a few of our drives but we didn’t have an issue.
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Assisi was our favorite place to visit during our 14 day trip to Italy this May. Minori on the Amalfi coast was second. Rome and Florence were nice but we liked the country, serene setting of Assisi and Minori.
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So far we’ve only booked our market/cooking class in Florence. We booked through Viator (which coordinates many tours worldwide). Last trip we had good luck with our tour choices (that time booked through AAA agent) in Puerto Vallarta. Most seem to allow cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, really helpful when wanting flexiblity.
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Now we need to get serious about getting museum tickets for our Florence stay in early Oct.
I’ve been dragging my feet on this, hesitant to lock in on plans. Our Fri morn market/cooking class is 10am…. almost 5 hours. So our thoughts are to do 9am tickets for Uffizi on Sat (or Sun) and Accademia on Sun (or Sat). Then we leave Mon morn for a drive through Tuscany and Mon night stay near Rome airport.
Still worried about museum overload on this trip. Before the Viking cruise we will be in Amsterdam, with tickets for Rijksmuseum (9am), Ann Frank Museum (5:30pm) and the next day 9am Van Gogh museum. Perhaps in Florence we will switch up from the normal audio tour and get a tourguide.
Has anybody visited Bargello museum? This appeals to me in place of Uffizi or Academia since tickets more available, perhaps could be done spur of the moment.
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I’m in Italy now and just left Florence. I would not underestimate the possibility of museum overload, given the itinerary you mentioned. A 2 hour guided tour of museum highlights can be invaluable, and is what we generally try to do. Also, planning a rest day here and there can be a great way to recharge.
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When we were in Florence we did both the Uffizi and the Accademia as tours. Not only was the tour guide information critical to understanding the exhibits, it allowed us to skip the line and get in right away.
I honestly never get museum overload, could visit a museum everyday. When we were in Rome we limited our church visits (because I could get church overload and in Rome and Florence there is a beautiful historic church on literally every corner).
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In Amsterdam, we have 9am museum tickets. Was going to do same in Florence, for fewer crowds. But… I do see that sometimes late afternoon is less crowded too - thoughts?
When our family was in Florence in May 2022, my wife and I visited the Bargello – in part because there was a Donatello exhibition (now concluded) that was split between the Bargello and another museum. Our family had purchased prepaid “skip the line” tickets for the Uffizi, and we (plus several hundred thousand other visitors, it seemed) did that tour on the given day; and while my wife and I had not booked any tickets to the Bargello before our trip, we were able to get them with no trouble on short notice. We thoroughly enjoyed the Bargello (someone once said that what the Uffizi is to paintings, the Bargello is to sculpture), and the crowds there were very small compared to what we encountered at the Uffizi.
I don’t know what if anything is left at the Bargello of the Donatello exhibit, but even without it I would recommend a visit to the Bargello.
Our family also did a “skip the line” tour of David and the Duomo, and the crowds were reasonable (we did not see much of anything else at the Accademia other than the David, but what we saw was great). I can send you the link to this tour, if it would be helpful.
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I also loved the Bargello- a manageable size, beautiful sculptures and the setting is unique, with a nice courtyard to display some sculptures, as well as exterior stairways and corridor that also house sculptures. Perhaps because of the indoor-outdoor feel and smaller scale, I found it a nice contrast with the larger museums.
I’d hesitate to go to the Uffizi without prior booking. A careful look at the Uffizi’s collection prior to deciding may help with determining priorities. It houses major, renowned works, as well as a large number of religious art.
Florence has a fascinating variety of places to visit: one of the world’s oldest pharmacies, Boboli Gardens, Medici tombs, the leather work school, Santa Croce where many famous people are buried (Michelangelo, Gallileo, Rossini for starters). Plus just walking the neighborhoods. Would take a long time to see all of it, so it makes sense to put together an itinerary with variety that suits your particular trip. Have a wonderful time.
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Thanks - I’d love a link to your tour. We are sorting through a variety of options, a bit overwhelming
I will send you a PM about this.
the mistake we made on our trip to Florence was not booking our Duomo tickets in advance - it was close to sold out the day we wanted to go
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We were in Florence the 3rd week of October last year. It was still pretty busy. I booked a food tour a few days before we arrived. Booked David and Accademia tickets about a month out. I didn’t know if we would be over museums by that point so didn’t book the Uffizi. When we checked into our hotel the person helping us said it was a must. He called and secured us tickets for the next morning. We didn’t go in the Duomo. We had been in so many churches and the Duomo in Milan and Siena that we were okay skipping it. Everyone is different. We loved just wandering. We did go to the leather school which was okay but I don’t think for me it was a must do. We did love the Jewish synagogue for its architecture. It also had a nice small museum.
We aren’t particularly gourmet eaters but I would think about reservations for dinner. We went out one night at a place the hotel made us reservations at that served steak florentine. Lots of places have it. We aren’t huge beef eaters but it was nice to try it and very good.
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Done the Bargello and Uffizi and Accademia. I can’t imagine going to Florence without seeing David, if you haven’t already. The Bargello is lovely and less crowded, for sure, but I would never pick it in place of the other two. This last trip I had more than a week there so was able to space things out and do it all.
Must repeat my love for Santa Croce. Dh cried there. Much less crowded and so much history. Last time I went, they were doing restoration that you could watch and learn about.
Not sure when you’ll be there, but this sounds marvelous and reservations open tomorrow!
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Thanks for the feedback. My husband and I actually have been to the Accademia, as part of a shore excursion on a 2012 cruise (and Rome then and in 2015). But the other couple has never been to Italy, so we want them to see “the real David”, though there are plenty of copies sprinkled through the city. It might be nice to see more of the rest of the museum too. And supposedly Uffizi is great too - so it’s on our list. Have to think more on Duomo.
We will stay near Santa Croce, but we arrive the night after the concert.
I like to walk, but we have a mix in our group - will save the walking for museums and tours. Upon initial research, it seems like in Florence using taxi makes more sense than uber (which arranges private drivers). Posting the info source, in case helpful to others….
For us, climbing to the top of the Duomo (up the dome) was the highlight of our visit, especially because several years earlier, D had dressed up as Brunelleschi’s dome for Renaissance costume day in middle school.
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