Florence Lodging--Comments?
 

I am looking at staying in one of two places in Florence. One is the Soggiorno Pezzati (500 meters from the train station SMN) and the other is the Piazza Dei Ciompi-Loggia (near the Santa Croce Square). Any opinions on either location?

I've looked up both locations (Soggiorno Pezzati on Via S. Zanobi, I assume) and recommend Piazza dei Ciompi as being more central.

Eloise,

Thanks for your input. I have another question--I will be in Rome for business for 3 weeks, and have the 2 weekends in between to travel. We planned to go to Florence for one of the weekends (Thursday through Sunday). Should we plan day trips from there or just stay in Florence (me, husband, four children)? We have been to Venice before, but nowhere else. Then, do you have recommendations for our second weekend?

Thanks!

A great deal depends on the age of your children and their (and your) interest in Renaissance art and architecture.

Personally, I would spend one weekend in Florence pursuing Renaissance art and architecture and the other wandering around the hill towns of Tuscany, for which you really should have a car.

For Florence, do reserve for the Uffizi and the Accademia in advance. Here are Ira's instructions:

Uffizi and Academia Museum Reservations
The easiest and cheapest way is to call Florence 011 (U.S. international access code) 39 (Italy's country code) then 055-294-883 8:30-18:30 M-F and 8:30-12:00 Sat. Florence time. You will get an English speaking operator and in 2-3 minutes YOU CAN RESERVE FOR BOTH. This is through the reservation service at the Uffizi and costs beyond the normal entry fee only about 1.60 euro for the service. This is MUCH cheaper than the commercial booking services. You will not be charged for the reservations in Florence unless you use them. (This means that if you arrive at either museum and there is no line up, you are under no obligation to pick up and pay for your reservation.)

My personal favourite in Florence is the Museo San Marco, in which there are never more than a few people. It is a former monastery in which Fra Angelico painted frescoes in a number of the cells and a lovely Annunciation at the head of the stairs. The museum also has a number of his paintings in oil.

Tuscan hill towns are an endless subject of discussion here. My personal favourites are San Gimignano, Siena, Montepulciano, Montalcino (with the nearby Abbey of Sant'Antimo); these are fairly far away from Florence (but not far in any North American sense) and you might manage two or three of them in a four-day weekend. For San Gimignano, try to get there in the afternoon, after the day trippers have left.

I don't know the Chianti towns of Radda, Greve and Castellina, which are all closer to Florence.

Hi T,

>..recommendations for our second weekend?<

One day to Ostia Antica to see the ruins.

Two days and a night in Orviteo. The kids will love the funicular.


((I))

Ira means Orvieto :-) :-) :-)