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My wife and I are going to Florence for the first time. We will be there four days the last of January. What are the absolute must see. How about the quaint neighborhood resturants.

The David by Michaelangelo is the absolute must-see. Even the lighting is perfect. Although it is January, you should have gelato at Vivoli's. Santa Croce is near Vivoli's and is interesting. Fiesole is a small town overlooking Firenze (Florence).

Is this four day period to be shared with other destinations in Tuscany? or four days in Florence with other time allocated for getting into or out of Tuscany with opportunities to explore around in doing so? My own personal approach would be to base the acquisition of one or two good guidebooks to Florence specifically - - or Tuscany - - which will of course, "cover" Florence in considerable detail. Amazon provides two (overlapping) lists whichever you want as your focus. Messages posted here of a few hundred words can not beging to match books of several hundred pages on these "gem" destinations. For Florence: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...737535-8399155 and for Tuscany: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...737535-8399155 And don't forget the good overviews available here on Fodor's itself at: http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=ove and on www.about.com - - http://goitaly.about.com/travel/goit...ence/index.htm and http://goitaly.about.com/travel/goit...bria/index.htm - - (note: this "meta-site" collection of other web pages is mostly confined to viilla listings, and some Pisa and Lucca stuff - - perhaps not what you are seeking). Post more information about how these four days fit into your other travel plans for Europe or Italy - - or is this just an extended "quickie" getaway? Best wishes, Rex

Hi john I have a file on Florence; if you'd like to see it, email me.

My top three Florence experiences: 1. The view from the top of Duomo. (It's worth the climb of the 463 steps! En route, you also the get a closeup view of the magnificent dome.) 2. Michelangelo's David at the Academia. 3. The Botticellis at the Uffizi (along with a lot of other masterpieces).

Don't miss the Duomo, Baptistry and Campanile--especially the sensational Ghiberti Doors of Paradise; buy gold jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio; take the #13 bus to the Piazzale Michaelangelo for a magnificent panoramic view of Florence; visit the Medici tombs; if you love sculpture, visit the Bargello which is the most remarkable collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture in the world; go across the Arno to Santo Spirito church and see the Masaccio frescoes, then wander around the area which is known as the Oltrarno and is less touristy and more colorful than the center. Il Latini is a great and quaint and very lively moderately priced restaurant which is lots of fun.