jofrom...'s above post makes a great point; if you do decide to go, make a reservation. Easy and sooo worth it. No need to stand in the long lines...

Personally, couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Poorly lit rooms, endless variations of Madonna and Child. I know I'll get slammed for this opinion, but I got a little bored. Absolutely loved the Accademia, however. Also, the visit came several years after visiting the Louvre, so it just left us feeling a little flat. I vote for a day in a Tuscan town.

Get a guide book - we used Rick Steves - light weight, I know, but we had three kids with us. As you start the tour, you'll see that the art is really in 2D....looks flat. Then as time progresses, you see that the artists are getting better and better at 3D effects. Pretty soon, the subjects are looking very life-like. Early on, it is all religious art. Then the subjects get more secular. It is really a decent primer on the development of Western European art.

There is so much art at the Uffizi, you are well-advised to do some research in advance so you know which pieces you want to see, and you know something about them. We spent over two hours in the Uffizi, which is probably the minimum amount of time, and we skipped by a couple of rooms because our student-guide was taking us to see the most 'important' art there.

I agree that Botticelli's Venus is amazing.

I'm glad we didn't skip the Uffizi.
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I can never get enough of the Uffizi. Each of the 4 times I've visited I spent between 5-7 hours and only exhaustion got me back out the door. I'm reserved again for the 25th (going to Rome & Florence with my sister)and am already lamenting that I'll only have 3 1/2 hours to spend there! I guess if Sis cries uncle, I'll leave earlier but let me tell you, it'd be hard to say goodbye to those Fra Lippi's again.

Margaretlb - We are booked to see the uffizi on the 25th too [asssume you mean october] [early in the morning, hopefully to miss the tourist coach rush] - shall I look out for the weeping woman?
ann