lamay313

Help! I will be in Florence (staying at the Hotel Curatone in the City Center West). I will be arriving late the first evening and will have one full day and another evening in Florence. I am looking for good advice on a good restaurant and the best sights to see.<BR>Thanks

elaine

ask your hotel to arrange reserved tickets for the Accademia and/or the Uffizi museums. The former has Michelangelo's &quot;David&quot;; the latter a treasure house of paintings by Botticelli, Michelangelo, DaVinci and other Renaissance masters. <BR><BR>Have a coffee or hot chocolate on Piazza della Signoria where you can gaze on a copy of &quot;David.&quot;<BR><BR>Take a walk to Ponte Vecchio, the bridge over the Arno which is lined with shops, mostly jewelry and leather goods.<BR><BR>Santa Croce church contains the tombs of many notables including Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo.<BR><BR>Try looking here at fodors.com for the very helpful basic info on Florence sightseeing.<BR><BR>

snorkelcat

Get up early in the morning to go to the main Duomo. Even though it will not be open, you can look at the beautiful bronze baptistry doors across from the Duomo before the crowds.Next, go to the Accademia when it first opens in the morning to enjoy David. The statue was beautiful. I could have looked at it for hours. Definitely arrange for tickets ahead of time for you don't waste time in line. I arranged for my tickets before I left the states.<BR><BR>I liked the Uffizi, but not as much as the Louvre, the D'Orsay, or the museums in Rome. If you really want to go, definitely get tickets ahead of time and hit the highlights.<BR><BR>I really enjoyed Santa Croce and near the church is a great ice cream place called Vivoli - YUM!!!<BR><BR>My absolute favorite was to walk across the river and up to the hillside where you can get a great panoramic view of Florence. I forgot the name of the location.<BR><BR>Your hotel can recommend some nice restaurants. I had some great soups and salads. <BR><BR>It is a pitty you only have a day. I loved walking around Florence and just experiencing the city. Don't forget the markets - got great deals on leather and silk items.<BR><BR>Good luck with your trip.

ira

Snorklecat suggests<BR>&gt;...walk across the river and up to the hillside where you can get a great panoramic view of Florence. I forgot the name of the location.&lt;<BR><BR> Is it the Piazzale Michelangelo (Bus route 12, 13 25 min from SMN) near the Pitti Palace?

KathyNZ

It is Piazza Michelangelo but it is a hike up the hill to walk it, on experience best to take the bus. The Pitti Palace across the Ponte Vechio has at least five different museums, the Palatini being the most interesting with the palace apartments. Only one day is really pushing it, but if you concentrate in the above area, you will see quite a bit. The Accademia is well away from these areas and apart from David does not have many other exhibits.<BR>You have to pay now to go into Sante Croce church, before july it was free. The Uffizi needs time to absorb it all, one small room after another, over 40 of them and your head will be spinning.<BR>Get a good map and plan out your route before you get there and what you want to see but keep it to a manageable area.<BR>Eating out, there are hundreds of restaurants in Florence, on the bus one day I counted fifteen in one small street.