I leave for my first trip to Italy in two weeks! This forum pretty much saved my life. I just finished my itinerary for Florence and was hoping you guys would look it over and let me know if anything looks too zany.

March 28-April 3
Sunday:
Arrive from Bologna/check-in @2pm
reservations for Accademia @ 4:45pm

Monday:
Duomo/Baptistery
Medici Chapels
Basilica di San Lorenzo
Santa Maria Novella

Tuesday:
Bargello Museum
Piazza della Signoria
reservation for Uffizi @ 1:30pm

Wednesday:
Oltrarno district
Santo Spirito
Brancacci Chapel
Piazzale Michelangiolo

Thursday: Siena
Friday: Lucca
Saturday: leave early for Rome

Will visiting the Bargello and Uffizi be too much museum time for one day? Does this leave enough time for wandering/shopping? Any suggestions would be great!

I think your itinerary is wisely chosen, but I do think the Bargello and the Uffizi would be too much in one day. Your Wednesday is light and you would have time to do it then, plus add the walk up the hill from Piazzale Michaelangelo to visit San Miniato.

Firenze is actually a very compact place, so you will have time to do the art sites you've listed without feeling like you have to rush from one to another, or can't stop in a store on a whim because you have to keep to a schedule. I am not a shopper, but I still think many of the shopping venues people sometimes urge others to make time for in lieu of art are not worth it.

I hope you will include the Museum of the Duomo as part of your exploration of the Duomo complex. I think there is enough air in your schedule that if you find yourself running late one day, you will have time to the next day to make it up.

If you find yourself with free time on your hands, I highly recommend the Museo San Marco.

In my trips to Florence, I found viewing the art work the single most rewarding thing I did, although the Uffizi is very tiring museum because of the crowds and other things that interfere. It is worth it before going in to identify what is most important for you to see (likewise the Bargello) so in case you find yourself tired out by the museum rather than exhilirated, you can locate what you came for, leave withou frustration, and go enjoy something else in Firenze.

It's snowing in Firenze today and while I expect that will surely be gone in 2 weeks (in 2 hours even), warm layers need to be in your suitcase.

Have a great time!

I think your plan is a bit museum-heavy. Having said that, you have omitted two of my favourites, the San Marco (as Zeppole said) and the Gozzoli chapel in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi. Both have more impact than San Lorenzo or the Brancacci chapel for me.

Don't be surprised if Santo Spirito is closed, we haven't been able to get in for years.

tarquin,

Mallory has the medici chapels on her list. I love them too, but the Brancacci were quite a revelation to me.

I think the Bargello and the Uffizi are fine on the same day. They are both small and completely different types of museums.

On Wednesday, add San Miniato when you go to Piazza Michelangelo.

Agree with adding the San Marco convent if you have time.

Hey M22,

You left out,
Sit out and enjoy a gelato
Walk along and enjoy a gelato

Enjoy your visit.

Like Zeppole, I highly recommend the Museum of the Duomo. And like Ira, I highly recommend as much gelato as possible. And I would never visit Florence without seeing Santa Croce.

While you have definitely placed sights closely located together, I would remove Piazza della signoria and Piazzale Michaelangelo from the list of sights.

I would consider them the type of places you may find yourself in several times.

Piazza Michaelangelo is farther but you may visit during your time in Oltranro and then take a bus up to see a sunset.

Piazza della Signoria is right in the center of the historic area and you no doubt will be going thru from every possible direction.

And as Ira mention. You may be walking thru or relaxing there with a gelato.

Just make sure you don't overdo the "obligatories" and underdo the "wandering".

Depending upon how you're getting around and how early you like to start you may be able to add a visit to the Leaning Tower on the way to Lucca.

In our case train travel that doesn't start too early in the morning has us stopping in Pisa and not getting to Lucca any later.

Have a great time.

mallory,

I would probably move the two daytrips apart from one another for more variety. I would also make my decision to take these daytrips based on the weather at the time I was there. Much of visiting Siena and Lucca is about wandering, especially Lucca if you plan to walk the wallls.

zeppole,
tarquin was correct. The OP did NOT have the Magi Chapel by Gozzoli at Palazzo Medici-Riccardi on the list. It is a completely different place than the Medici Chapels at San Lorenzo. For me the Magi Chapel is well worth adding to this itinerary since the OP has so many days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi_Chapel

Why am I remembering that we took a day trip to Siena on Monday, because some of the places we wanted to visit in Florence were closed?

Ellenem, thanks for the correction! I did misread it, and sorry tarquin.

Mallory, I heartily endorse adding the Magi Chapel!

To others:

Mallory is going in two weeks and by the time she gets to Firenze, she probably will know for herself whether she likes eating gelato in winter. I can't. Hot drinks and Negronis are my choice.

Adrienne is the first person I think I have ever encountered who experienced the Uffizi and the Bargello as small museums.

Thanks all!

Zeppole - I enjoyed 80 degree weather here at home in Texas yesterday ...I hope it gets warmer in Firenze, but I will definitely be prepared for cold. brrrrr.

I think I'll do the Bargello on a separate day, though. And I was planning on visiting San Miniato as well.

tarquin, ellenem, and zeppole - I actually had the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi on my original list, and can't figure out how it got left out. I definitely think I would enjoy it. Thanks for pointing that out!

ira - don't worry. there will be plenty of gelato ingesting!

myer - Thanks for your concern but I definitely won't overload myself. I know my must-see's, but I try never to let myself get too rushed on vacation.

goaway - I was actually thinking about visiting Siena on Monday. My schedule is so flexible, so like ellenem said, I'll wait to see what the weather's like. The beauty of traveling alone!

All of the help is greatly appreciated!

A somewhat recent NY Times article you may find interesting:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/08...surfacing.html

The name of the museum of the Duomo is Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. It's on the opposite side of the Duomo from the Baptistery.

Personally I love the Bargello more than the Uffizi but that's because I love sculpture.

Have a wonderful time. We'll be there in the middle of April.

jean - What a great article! The Oltrarno is like the Brooklyn of Florence.