TTT

Thank you for the tips and suggestions everyone, I really appreciate it! Thank you for the links @annhig & @kybourbon--reading them now!

When you're at Santa Croce, look for the line painted on the interior wall near the main door (facing the piazza) which indicates how high the 1966 flood waters rose. The crucifix by Cimabue now hanging above the main altar was plucked from the muddy waters, came to symbolize the city's recovery from the flood and only recently was re-installed after restoration that took decades. Don't miss the refectory next door to the basilica. Taddeo Gaddi's Last Supper and Tree of Life are on one interior wall. It's one of the earliest representations of the Last Supper scene after perspective was 'invented.'

Try to squeeze in a visit to the Bargello Museum.

@Jean Thank you!

annhig, which restaurant are you talking about?

"also, in the piazza san marco, or rather on the corner of the square and via Cavour, there is a very nice cafe with very superior food, but the best thing about it is the waitresses uniforms - they are VERY smart."

Did you mean the Ristorante Accademia? Just wondering; have been there and really liked the food but the uniforms did not register with me. Perhaps you had another location in mind.

eccolo, pctraveller:

http://www.grancaffesanmarco.it/home.html

sadly none of the staff are visible in any of the photos [except the old black and white ones] but their uniforms made a big impression on us!

Thanks for the link @annhig!

Vivi004, I hope you will go to the Bargello!! We love that museum, especially the hall of sculpture on the second floor. (Or first floor in Eurospeak). IMO it should not be missed.

Also in the Duomo museum, the original Doors of Paradise (the ones outside are copies) and the Mary Magdalene by Donatello. The Mary M is a wooden statue of her following her stay in the wilderness, and is just heartbreaking. Such an evocative thing!