We have a full day to ourselves in Florence. We've done the artwork, museums, churches, Michelangelo Park, biked in Tuscany, We're looking for some interesting sites to visit and tour in the city. For example, last trip we visited the perfume store (beautiful building...lots to see and marvel at) and stopped by the paper store to watch them make paper (and were given some free sheets of paper they just made). Any suggestions you might have experienced would be helpful and appreciated.

Sincerely,

Fredo

Have you visited the Pitti Palace and its Boboli Gardens? A walk around that side of the Arno is kinda nice also.

There are at least 72 museums and other notable sights in Florence.

The Museums of Florence

Because of my passion for mosaics and intarsia, I love the Opificio delle Pietre Dure which is rarely mentioned here. On at least a couple of visits, we've been the only people in the museum.

Opificio delle Pietre Dure - Florence

There are also small guided tours of the restoration workshops for the Duomo, Baptistery and Cathedral.

Florence Duomo Complex Tour Including Restoration Workshop

The Museum of Natural History is certainly eclectic. It's one of the oldest such museums in the world, founded by one of the Medici It has a hall of skeletons, with the skeletons on many mammals, some of which are now extinct. There are amazing wax anatomical models, which were used to teach medical students at a time when the Catholic Church frowned on the disection of human bodies. The detail of blood vessles and other tissue is incredible. There is also an18th century astronomical observatory. And the usual natural history museum attractions of bugs, butterflies and dinosaurs.

Some other things that people often skip, although I don't know if you'd call them eclectic:

The Museum of the Duomo, in a beautiful modern building, has much of the art that was once inside the Duomo, as well as fascinating exhibits about the history of the Duomo. This and the Baptistery are my two favorite visits of the Duomo. I would skip the long line to get inside the Duomo and just visit these two. The Baptistery is older than the Duomo, and its ceiling is covered with marvelous golden mosaics.

Saint Mark's Museum, once a monastery, with the monks' cells covered with fresoces by the Beato Angelico, also known as Fra Angelico.

The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, on its attractive piazza, has a treasury of Renaissance art inside.

Jean, did you see that the entire floor of the Duomo di Siena is uncovered again this year? They also had an upper gallery open so that visitors could admire the magnificence from above.

We just happened to visit once when the floor was totally uncovered, unbeknownst to us. (Usually, for protection, only a small part is visibile at a time.) It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, intricate 14th century intarsia on marble.

[QUOTE=girlonthego;16975038]

Here's another vote for the Mercato di San Ambroglio. There is also a restaurant inside which offers local specialities such as tripe salad..

If you cross the Arno to the Piazzale Michelangelo and walk up the hill, you get a wonderful view over Florence, and then further up you will come to Chiesa si San Salvatore al Monte, and then San Minitori al Monte which is lovely. Do make sure that you have some small change with you for putting into the lighting machines in churches so you can see the mosaics etc. lit up. 50c is a useful size.

You don't say when you are going - if it's in May-June, there are some lovely gardens to see too.

I love hardware stores and found some very inexpensive beautiful cupboard/drawer knobs at one across the river not far from Boboli Gardens. The Oltrarno is likely the best area for shopping for unusual items at local prices.