Hi all,

This board was so helpful when planning my Honeymoon eight years ago, and now I am back, planning a trip to Florence in early March. I am going with my best friend for my 40th Birthday! I have been to Florence before (20 years ago), so I know my way around and all the major sites, but I still have questions:

- How do I get from the train station to my rental apartment, which is behind the Palazzo Vecchio in a no traffic zone? On a map, it looks like I could hop a couple of buses to the Uffizi and walk from there. Now sure I want to walk from the station with luggage. Has anyone done this?

- I'm looking for restaurant recommendations. I can't afford 5 star, but I'm not eating pizza every day either. I'm a foodie and would love to know your secret spots that are non-touristy and off the beaten path. Not looking for a "show," just great food. I've noticed that most recommendations on travel sites are no longer secrets, so I may be out of luck. Just looking for your personal favorites.

- How are museum lines in early March? Does anyone know if the tunnel over the Uffizi is open for tours?

- We thought about renting a car for a day to explore, but parking overnight seems to be a problem. Can you recommend any nearby towns to visit that are accessible by bus or train? I've done Siena, though I would love to return to Da Divo for dinner! I would do San Gim., but only after 4pm and that seems impossible without a car. Is Fiesole walkable? As in walking from Florence? I think it's about 5 miles, but don't know if it's a safe walking road.

- Any other quirky adventures for 2 ladies on the loose? What should we not miss in Florence (besides the obvious tourist attractions?)

I promise a trip report upon my return!

Take a taxi from the station to your apartment if you do not want to walk dragging your luggage. That is a bit far to walk, I think, even if you only have a carry-on.

Take the bus up the hill to Fiesole. I would not want to walk on that road!

Another lovely town to visit by train from Florence is Orvieto, which has a stunning Duomo, is up on a mesa with great views all around, with streets almost free of cars. If you go to the Duomo, do pay extra to see the gorgeous Signorelli frescoes in the side chapel (the name escapes me at the moment.) There's lots of pottery for sale there. The hill is riddled with caves, some of which are now restaurants, and you can take a tour of underground Orvieto. It's a nice leisurely, pleasant day trip.

I think I can help with some of your questions-

- Take a taxi from the train station to your apartment. There is an official taxi stand right outside the station.

- I'm sure you will receive some restautant rec's to your post and you can also do a search. You may enjoy researching the reviews here-

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/restau...asp?r=Florence

- Consider hiring a driver/guide for your day in the countryside and hope for beautiful weather. You can take the bus to Greve in Chianti, Lucca, and Volterra, to name a few that are popular. You can slo take the bus up to Fiesole (20 minutes). I do not recommend trying to walk there.

Some restaurants that we have enjoyed on recent trips include La Giostra, Osteria de Benci on Via de Benci near Santa Croce and Osteria Tornabuoni on Via de Corso.

You can probably visit several towns without a car including a train to Pisa or a bus to Greve and Siena.

We really enjoyed Trattoria Cibreo for lunch (no reservations, get there early) and il Guscio for dinner http://www.ristoranteilgusciofirenze.com. Make sure to order the assorted appetizers at Guscio. Another good spot is Vivanda which bills itself as a "biological" enoteca. http://www.vivandafirenze.it/ The cheese and salumi plates and wine were great. We also liked Casalinga.

Haven't seen anyone mention Pisa yet as a day trip possibility. It's conveniently reached by train from Florence, and you can see all the primary sights there easily in one day.

Will definitely second Siena as an excellent day trip option. Unless things have changed since I was last there, the bus stops closer to the historic city center than the train does.

Other towns reachable by train from Florence are Lucca, Arezzo, Pistoia and Prato. You could go to Bologna also, but it seems to be worth more than a day trip. (On my list!) Orvieto seems a bit far (2 hours one way) for a day trip.

Great suggestions. Thank you!

San Gimignano only after 4 pm? Is that because you think it will be crowded?

I think the "tunnel" to the Uffizi you mentioned is the Vasari Corridor which is an elevated, enclosed walkway. Over many years and many visits to Florence, I've never been able to see the Corridor. I've booked spots on guided tours that included the Uffizi galleries and the Corridor, but the tours were cancelled before the tour date(s). Maybe you'll have better luck:

http://en.firenze.waf.it/tour_dett/1...-corridor.html

http://selectitaly.com/guided_servic...product_id=334

I loved Lucca especially the Puccini museum, if you enjoy his music it is a must visit. Also Via Reggio is worth a visit on the coast, easily reachable from Florence by train, the town has a saturday market and the beach area has a nice promenade.

Jean - Yes, I want to avoid the crowds at San Gimignano. My husband and I stopped there for dinner at sunset once and loved it. I would love to do that again. And thanks for the tour link. The corridor is what I was referring to.

I'm thinking Lucca sounds like a great side trip!

My guess, early March in San Gim will not be crowded.

"Any other quirky adventures for 2 ladies on the loose? What should we not miss in Florence (besides the obvious tourist attractions?)"

This is a good question - if you have the time do make it up to San Miniato, by foot, bus or taxi. The church is fantastic to visit, and for quirky, you may want to visit the cemetery, which really has some incredible sculptures in it as well as interesting tombs, etc. You can also walk around the outside of the walls of the cemetery in some nice woods (I think this is safe, it is popular place for walkers and there is a path that is nearly a road).

Another thing probably not seen by many is the Perugino frescos in Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi - this can be a little difficult, as it is hard to figure out exactly when they are opened to the public.

http://www.florence-journal.com/flor...dei-pazzi.html

I agree on all points mentioned here. The views of the Florence skyline from San Miniato, from Piazza Michaelangelo, from the Belvedere in the Boboli Gardens (of Palazzo Pitti), and from Fiesole are absolutely stunning. A walk to Fiesole would be completely uphill, but buses run regularly from the bus stops in front of the Santa Maria Novella train station. Taxi fare from Santa Maria Novella to your hotel should not exceed 10 Euros. There is a restaurant I always enjoy in Florence called "Il Cavallino" right on Piazza della Signoria. The waiters are very friendly, funny and helpful. I also enjoyed eating in Oltrarno, just wandering about and finding places that looked good.

Buon Viaggio,
BC

I'm definitely going to San Miniato as I've never been. I've been to the Boboli Gardens, but never inside the Pitti Palace, so I'd like to do that, too. On my last visit, we parked at Pza. Michaelangelo and walked to town. That was a lovely walk, but we got scammed on the parking. At that time, the lot was free (not sure if it is now), but guys were walking around demanding payment and writing "tickets" for cars that had paid. It wasn't until I returned home that I found out the lot was FREE. Duh.

While in Florence last month, we visited the beautiful fresco, "Procession of the Magi" at the Medici-Riccardi museum. The fresco has recently been restored and is well worth a trip. Entrance is limited to a few persons at a time but we had no trouble getting in with a very short wait. I would think March wouldn't be crowded.

One of the great charms of Italy, IMO, is the ability of the country to "lure you back" when things are closed, and mamcalice's thread reminded me of that. And Palazzo Pitti also hosts various exhibits from time to time, such as the one I'd seen called Vitrum on (what was at that time, a recent) excavation of glass artifacts.

Look11, I've avoided the parking lot scam by taking a bus or cab up to Piazza Michaelangelo. The last time I was in Florence, I went on a "girl's trip", and the 4 of us piled into a cab to go up to Piazza Michaelangelo, then one of used her cell phone to call for a cab, as we didn't see any around, when we wanted to leave.

BC

I've been to Florence a few times in March, most recently March 2010. The crowds are thinner but there still are crowds for the big sites.

Here's a quote from my trip report:

"In Florence, the best things I/ we did were:
San Miniato al Monte
A climb up Bellosguardo
Santo Spirito and the adjacent Fondazione Romano
the Ognissanti Church
Palazzo Davanzati
Church of the Carmine
Ferragamo Museum

"You notice... no Uffizi, no Accademia. I don't do crowds and I do not want to line up. Fine for those who wish to -- I'm just saying I don't.

"I don't think my trip to Florence suffered. I must have seen the Uffizi about a dozen times, anyway, when I lived briefly in Florence, years and years ago."

Here is a link to the trip report, with details on the above sights/ activities:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...r-environs.cfm

You might check out the apartments offered by Residenza Il Carmine, on the Oltrarno. We always stay in their "Domus" apartment and got an amazing off-season rate this past March.

They also have a separate apartment ("Ramaglianti") on the Oltrarno right by the Ponte Vecchio. It looks very nice in photos and their price are always very fair.

(They often have great last-minute deals, if you are willing to gamble. Many here are not, wh. is understandable.)

Here is a link to their availabity page for March 2011:

http://www.residenzailcarmine.com/bo...se=3&Anno=2011

You can walk up to Piazza Michelangelo and to San Miniato just beyond. It's not that far or that steep.

here's the official website for the museums of Florence.

http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/

it is not showing the varsari corridor at present, which makes me think that it's closed.

can I second the suggestion of a day trip to Fiesole? we really enjoyed it, and you can tack it onto a visit either to the museum of san marco in the piazza of the same name, or to the accademia which is just round the corner. as the bus to fiesole goes from that square. [tickets from the little bar by the bus stops, where they do a great cafe corretto too!] also there is a very upmarket cafe on the corner of the square with via cavour where the waitresses wear the most stupendous hats!

once up in Fiesole, you can see the cathedral, then walk up to the monastery di san francesco [don't miss the free museum in the basement or the very elaborate nativity scene] then walk back down to the roman amphitheatre, ending with a meal at the restaurant in the square.