beckonbecky

This September, we will be leaving Rome on a Thursday morning (10am or so) and taking the train to Florence. We have to leave the following Friday afternoon for Vernazza. We need to get to Vernazza around 4-5pm. Our hotel is located one block behind the duomo.

What would be the best itinerary for this? I know this is not hardly long enough, but we have no choice.

Our priorities are the market shopping(leather, etc.), Uffizi, Accademia, walking to the top of the duomo & Boboli Gardens. What is the best course of action...we are young and eager travelers! I know some things are best in the morning since some musuems close early. What things are open during the siesta? Please help us plan our days.

ellenem

Get a good guide book with up-to-date opening hours and note them next to the priorities you've listed. Plan your time accordingly. Then be prepared to jettison all your plans when you are overtaken with the city's beauty and just want to sit at a cafe or wander. I think you should plan maybe one item for Thursday afternoon and one item for Friday morning as definites--you choose based on your interests. Then wander to your markets for shopping inbetween, If anything else fits in--great. Don't overplan your time until you're there. Make realistic plans so you won't be disappointed when your train schedules interfere.

BoulderCO

Definitely buy your tickets in advance for Accademia and Uffizi to avoid the long waiting lines. The Accademia is very small - most people go there primarily for David. It is a short walk from your hotel. Do research on the Uffizi so you can zero in on what you want to see. Otherwise, you will be wandering around forever - the place is huge. Walking the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo will take at least an hour. You can check out shopping as you walk between the sights.

SiobhanP

How or where can I buy tikets for the museums in advance? I will be there next thurs and Friday for 2 days. Also are there any markets on these days. I am looking to buy a leather jacket.

Greeves

Don't miss Il Latini restaurant for dinner. Get there about 7 and wait for the door to open.

elaine

re advance museum reservations for the Accademia and Uffizi:

Have your hotel do it.
Or use the website www.waf.it and pay a surcharge. They are very reliable.

Buy a good guidebook, or print out some of the great info you can get for Florence elsewhere here at fodors.com
Buy a "Streetwise Florence" map, sold in most US bookstores, or buy on line.

Here are my suggestions for a short visit to Florence.

Duomo, Campanile, Baptistery (all right next to each other)

Ponte Vecchio, walk across to Boboli Gardens if you like, but bring water and don't carry loaded totebags.
The walk through the gardens is all uphill.

Santa Croce church (for famous tombs, and nearby leather making school which sells)
www.leatherschool.it
Florence's Mercato Centrale and Mercato Nuovo are two open-air markets that have a
vast selection of leather goods

San Lorenzo church and the Medici chapels (and the Laurentian Library if you have time)

Vivoli for gelato

Cafe Rivoire for pastry and hot chocolate
It's right in the Piazza della Signoria

2 museums (I'd choose the Accademia, allowing a half hour or so to see "David" and his companions) plus either the Bargello (wonderful sculpture including more by Michelangelo) and/or the Museum of San Marco (former monastery, with Fra'Angelico's frescoes). I really dislike the Uffizi despite its masterpieces, but that's me.

take a 20 minute bus ride (#13) up to Piazelle Michelangelo for a gorgeous view of Florence, especially at dusk.

beckonbecky

Thanks for all the good advice. Couple more questions:

Where is II Latini restaurant located and what's its price range? What do you recommend there?

Are the Boboli Gardens open in the evening? I think it would be pretty to be up there at dusk and come back down to for dinner.

maitaitom

I also definitely recommend Il Latini. However, make reservations for later in the evening. That way you will experience a crowd of locals instead of American tourists. The atmosphere is fantastic with prosciutto hanging from the ceiling. Your waiters make most odf the food choices for you, and that's half the fun. Of course, the giant bottle of Chianti doesn't hurt either. Our experience at Il Latini was memorable. By the way, whatever time you get reservations, show up a little early, because you probably will have to wait a bit outside anyway if it's crowded. Just stay near the front of the restaurant and make sure the person seating people gets a glimpse of you. You should be seated within about ten minutes. We sat in a room with all Italians and had a blast. That's why I recommend waiting until lkater to get the full effect. My wife loved the soups and I loved the prosciutto y melone. Dinner is remarkably inexpensive. The address and phone number of Il Latini is (if I wrote it down correctly):
via del Palchetti 6r
055 - 210 -916
They also have an email address that I will get to you shortly if I can find it. Have a great time.

maitaitom

Here is email address:
info@illatini,com
Here is something from a blurb I saw on the internet and I could not agree more:
"Il Latini still offers a convivial Tuscan spirit, where the dining table is a place to make friends and share common interests. Here, the wooden tables have witnessed over one-hundred years of shared hospitality, in a place where important personalities in the world of culture meet side by side with ordinary diners." Our evening spent at Il Latini brings back so many great memories. I hope it does for you, too.

nkh

Some of the opening/closing times and dates you are looking for are on this website.

http://www.firenzemusei.it/00_englis...vizi_main.html

As I recall, the Boboli gardens close at "dusk" (the latest time listed is 7:30pm) - I think there was some sort of warning siren to alert you to depart, but cant remember exactly. We certainly were there from 6pm -7pm when we visited (August 1999) - it was a beautiful time of day, and also few people. Definitely a good "pre-dinner" activity.

I think that the Duomo is best climbed in the morning. You arent going at quite as busy a time of year as we did, but what worked best for us was getting to the Duomo about 30 minutes before the stairs were opened (10am I think is the opening time). We had to wait a few minutes to get in but were in the first "group" of climbers. When we went past in the afternoons the lines were much longer.

Have a wonderful time!

fluffy

Becky- if you want to purchase a great leather jacket or outfit; check out Anna-across from Plazzio Pitti, they will even custume make you something to fit you perfectly, this would be an investment you will never forget.
Much luck
Fluffy