cheryl

Another question for the experts-- <BR> <BR>I will be traveling to Florence from Rome in September. I will be in Florence 2 days--arriving on the 9th and leaving to tour Tuscany on the 11th--from everything I have read(here, of course and in guides)--the Uffizi will take the most time--therefore I am leaning towards starting with the Uffizi on 10th early when I have the entire day and <BR>looking to schedule a reservation for the Accademia on the 9th later in the day after I have checked into my hotel (Plaza Lucchesi)--I can shop on the 11th before I have to meet the group I will be traveling with. <BR> <BR>Based upon the advice given to me concerning Rome--I thought my first day could be spent walking about and catching the Accademia in the early evening before dinner--the next day after seeing the Uffizi--I could then walk the Boboli/Pitti---if I'm 'off base' set me on the right course!--as always, your steadfast advice is most appreciated. c

anne

Sounds like a good and very work-able plan. You probably know that your hotel can make reservations for you at the Uffizi, without an extra charge as there would be through other channels. <BR>And you can also shop as you walk around from one sight to the next! <BR>Florence is my favorite shopping city! <BR>

Valerie

We were in Florence the same month back three years ago. My husband and I got married there. Definately get reservations for the Uffizi, we didn't and waited in line for 2 1/2 hours at least then it took another 1 to 2 hours to go through it. Fortunately when I was there, they only allowed a small amount of people in at a time which made the museum nice and uncrowded once inside and walking around. So we were able to see everything well and fairly quickly. I loved the little street markets in Florence. One of my favorite cities! Have fun!

Beth

Hi Cheryl, <BR>this is an incredible coincidence, but I'm going to be in Florence on the exact same days, arriving the 9th, and leaving the 11th for Tuscany. Maybe this is an excuse for another "Monica's Table" get-together... any other Fodorites going to Florence? <BR> <BR>I was considering a very similar plan to yours. I will have reservations for the Uffizi for early on the 10th. I was considering using the tour from Rick Steve's "Mona Winks", which starts with the Uffizi, and ends with the Accademia and supposedly takes 8 hours (with 3 hours in the Uffizi and an hour for lunch). This seems to cover the major sights, and leaves me the afternoon of the 9th for some less known sights I'd like to see, and the morning of the 11th for shopping. <BR> <BR>--Beth

cheryl

Cheryl- <BR> <BR>Your plan is exactly what I would recommend. Everything in Florence is within easy walking distance, so getting from one place to another is not a problem. Personally, there are other places I would rather see than Boboli/Pitti if I only had two days, but that is a personal preference. After the Accademia and Uffizi (we spent 3-4 hours in each, and we've been twice), my next big must-see would be Santa Croce. I could be wrong, but I'm not sure that reservations at the Accademia are necessary. We stayed nearby and never saw long lines to get in (in May). I believe someone else said the same thing recently. If you have any other questions, I'd be glad to help, we just got back from our second trip 2 weeks ago.

cheryl

Me again. While Beth's plan obviously works, and only you know how many large museums you can see in a day, we have always found it more effective to see one large museum and several smaller sights per day. I find that it is easy to stop absorbing information after a while at large museums (and we're museum fiends!), breaking it up with smaller sites (churches, etc.) seems to make it easier for us to enjoy the museums without overloading on information.

Beth

Hi Cheryl (I'm addressing Cheryl the responder as opposed to Cheryl the original poster this time ) <BR> <BR>I pretty much agree with your philosophy of one major museum per day. But actually the reason I chose to break it up the way I did was to fit in the Bargello on a different day from the Uffizi. I was under the impression that the Accademia was pretty small, there was not much more to see there than David and the Prisoners. Am I mistaken here? <BR> <BR>I may take my chances with Accademia and skip getting reservations. We'll just go when the mood strikes us, and the lines aren't too long. That way if the Rick Steve's tour seems to be too much for one day, we can always go in the morning, the next day. (Besides, I don't want my husband to accuse me of overplanning, and scheduling every minute! )

cheryl

Beth- <BR> <BR>Again, this is subjective, but my experience was that we spent 3 hours at the Accademia on a second visit, and only 1 hour at the Bargello on a first visit. Many people seem to love the Bargello, but it is not high on our list of favorite sites in Florence. I have no idea if this is typical of most visitors to these museums. I know that guidebooks seem to rave about the Bargello, and I have had conversations with another Fodorite (Elaine) who loved the Bargello. So my experience may not be at all typical. The Accademia is however, larger than just David and the Prisoners, although many visitors don't seem to see anything else. Nowhere near as large as the Uffizi, but a wonderful collection. The Prisoners, by the way, are probably my favorite works in Florence, along with the Giotto frescos (freschi??) at Santa Croce. I would also recommend seeing some of the churches. As wonderful as it is to see the museums, there is nothing like the experience of seeing a work of art displayed in its original setting, still fulfilling its original function of inspiring worship. (I'm sure you know this, but it's so easy in Florence to spend all of your time in museums). The Orcagna tabernacle at Orsanmichele near the Uffizi is worth a quick visit. Also San Lorenzo, not far from the Accademia. And if you have time (you may not, as you only have a couple of days) Museo di San Marco, where Fra Angelica painted a fresco in each monk's cell, is extraordinary.

Carol

Hi Cheryl: <BR> <BR>Just returned from Florence, and I have to add my two cents. The Accademia and Santa Croce were my favorites this trip - and I could spend hours outside of the Duomo. Fortunately I have been to Florence before and had seen many of the museums and we just didn't have enough days this time. <BR> <BR>However, it's easy to get "museumed-out" (and this is coming from two people who studied much art history). Our favorite thing to do in Florence - and in most of Europe - is walk, walk, walk and people watch. One of our favorite spots in Florence was the Piazza Signoria with many restaurants and people, as well as architecture and sculpture. <BR> <BR>Florence is like one big, beautiful, awesome museum and there is much to see and do. Try to enjoy as many of the "flavors" as possible. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip, <BR>Carol Lehrman <BR>

cheryl

Wow--thanks for the input--now I can make reservations and not wonder--hmmm..shoulda,what if--as for Boboli/Pitti--I'm still reading and percolating --I agree Santa Croce is a must--when I have it sketched out I will send it out and get everyone's input. <BR> <BR>I am glad to hear that I will be able to shop on the 'walk'--my concern when I really started to plan my trip (two week seemed like a long time) was that I would have time to stop and just savor,shop a little,watch people,etc. Also,I have heard that shopping in Florence is not to be missed. <BR> <BR>So, I've decided that I will see what I can this trip and just plan another and another,etc. to catch what I didn't this time around- <BR> <BR>beth--feel free to email me so we can discuss setting up Monica's table in Florence--I think that would be great! <BR>I haven't bought Mona Winks, but I hear that Rick's insights are very good and funny--many people have recommended that touring the Uffizi should be accompanied by either a guide, a good guide book such as Mona Winks or the audio tour. <BR> <BR>Molto grazie!

phyllis

I spent 4 days in Florence in 1992 and still have vivid memories of the beauty of it. Just walking the City is "art heaven". The Uffizi will probably be crowded whenever you go, but if you make an early reservation you can probably get a good feel for the place in 3-4 hours. I was personally disappointed in the Accademia, small, too many people milling around and its not even the real thing! But... the Michaelangelo sculptures (four individual pieces I think called "The Slaves") are extraordinary. If you really want to go, make it a stop en route to something else. Santa Croce is great...but my vote goes to Santa Spirito (on the other side of the Arno). Its unassuming from the front, but it sits on a piazza that really captures the golden light of florence and the art work inside is worth crossing the river. There is also a smaller museum called the Horn Gallery. Its not the Uffizi, but if you really want to spend time with your art, its a much more intimate experience. Have a great trip!

cheryl

I didn't understand Phyllis' comment "it's not even the real thing". Can anyone explain? <BR> <BR>Santo Spirito is nice to visit, especially as it seems to still be more of a "neighborhood parish" than most of the other churches. A different feel altogether. We have also had a couple of excellent meals on the piazza there at Osteria Santo Spirito.