dtph

Hi - I'll be in Venice for 2 nights and Florence for 3 nights. Are there any popular tourist attractions that you would advise against? I'd like to limit my time indoors so I want to know what I can skip without any fear of missing out.

vjpblovesitaly

Which ever ones don't interest you.

dtph

I guess I'm looking for people's opinions. I know everyone's interests and opinions are different and in the end I'll decide what to do and what to see, but I'd like to get an idea of anything people took time out to see or visit and wished they hadn't.

ellenem

If you're not interested in Renaissance art, then I think you could skip the Uffizi Galleries. It is crowded, ill labeled, and ill lit--not very user-friendly for those unfamiliar with the collection.

On the other hand, the Academia Gallery in Florence is smaller and easier to visit, and has Michelangelo's David, an iconic work of art--if this interests you, definitely get a reserved ticket.

dtph

ellenem - thank you so much. this is exactly the type of advice i'm looking for. and funny thing is that i was debating whether to visit the uffizi or not. i am planning on visiting the accademmia to see david and will reserve tix through my hotel.

all other suggestions and opinions are still welcome. thank you.

zeppole

I agree with ellenem about the Uffizi.

Personally, I am not interested in shopping, so even though the San Lorenzo market, the Rialto market and the Ponte Vecchio are outdoors, I don't spend time there.

Overall, I recommend that you focus on going to smaller indoor places, because in both Venice and Florence, they can be tremendously rewarding, not so crowded and give you more of a chance to really enjoy an artistic masterpiece.

There is a tendency in guidebooks to gush about the huge palaces and huge museums with their huge collections (not just in Italy), at the expense of alerting people to the beauty and enjoyment in smaller museums and chapels -- as if being impressed by hugeness was the only reason you wanted to travel. Obviously these places were built to "impress" foreigners and heathens, with all their booty and over the top decorative riches. But they can be tedious and tiring to march through for hours,-- and unfortunately you don't have the time for multiple visits for smaller, more digestible bites.

So I would not make seeing the huge sites my number #1 priorities. I'd look to see if there was something of particular interest to me. If it was in a huge museum, I'd go inside to see it. But for me, in both Venice and Florence, it seldom is, and what I encounter in the smaller places is very educational and enjoyable.

Jean

I wouldn't ditch the Uffizi entirely unless you have no interest in art. I'd do some research and walk through the rooms, stopping to view only the individual works that appeal to you. It's the same thing I would recommend for the Louvre or any other art museum. There's no rule that says you have to stop and look at everything. I myself can't visit Florence without "visiting" the Botticellis, Ghirlandaios and a few others. They're my touchstone.

At the link below, you can take a virtual tour of Uffizi, find out what works are in what rooms and view images of most of the pieces. In a few minutes of research, you could develop a short tour that would cover the highlights that interest you. It's likely everything you decide to see would be on the 3rd floor, and your "tour" would take 60 minutes tops. Get an entry reservation for late afternoon when the Uffizi is less crowded.

http://www.virtualuffizi.com/uffizi/roomsidx.htm

Zerlina

I'd skip the Duomo, a large empty space with mostly third-rate art, but I'd go to the Baptistery and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Brunelleschi's dome is almost as impressive from the outside as from the inside.

zeppole

Useful advice from Jean but I will point out that the problem with the Uffizi, unlike other Louvre or any other art museum, is that even once you've identified what you want to see, your experience of actually *seeing* it in the Uffizi is severely compromised by the thick bomb-proof glass in which the paintings are encased. Making matters worse, the glass is very reflective, and what you will spend most of your time looking at is a reflection of the milling tourists who only are in the Uffizi to see Botticelli's "Venus." And you will have to keep repositioning yourself to find a place where you can see the entire art work without also seeing light bulbs reflected in the frame. You have to be very highly motivated and interested in art to outwit these obstacles for any satisfactory look at the painting in my experience.

I'm not much interested in Botticelli (and it wasn't until I saw his work in the Prado that I even felt I'd had a chance to see it, despite "seeing" it in the Uffizi), but I am extremely interested in the work of da Vinci. It took me more than 15 minutes to have to wait for the room to sufficiently clear to actually be able to get a satisfactory look at his work in the Uffizi, and I went at night in December to avoid the crowds. The reflective glass and lighting is that bad.

So even if you are extremely interested in art and identify 10 paintings in the Uffizi you don't want to leave Italy without seeing, I suggest you budget more than 60 minutes if you really hope to look at them.

If you have come tens of thousands of miles to see great Italian painting, Jean's strategy can alert you to paintings you might not have known were in the Uffizi and do want to see. But people visiting Florence interested in great Italian painting could never set foot in the Uffizi and still have more great Italian painting to look at in other places in Florence than they could possibly begin to see in anything less than six months.

julia_t

I've been to Florence twice, once as a day trip from Rome, and another time for 2 days.

I've not been to the Uffizi, but loved seeing David (and the slaves) at the Accademia - (we didn't have time to see much else there), the Medici Chapel, the Baptistery, several gorgeous churches that I can't particularly remember the names off the cuff, but were San Marco and Santa Croce I think. I wanted to see an exhibition at the Bargello but it just didn't fit into the time.

Do please try to work in an evening bus ride up to Fiesole - the view is enchanting from the Blue Bar (right by the bus stop), and it was a highlight of my second visit to Florence.

And buy some lovely leather gloves as souvenirs or gifts!

Luisah

I didn't spend much time in the Uffizzi but loved the Botticellis. I must have been lucky because although the paintings are behind glass, there was no glare or other problems viewing them. Maybe it was the time of year (October) and time of day (late afternoon).

Lexma90

In Venice, if you're not so much into paintings, then skip the Ducal Palace and the Accademia. They have lots of great art, and the Palazzo Ducale is magnificent, but the true wonderfulness of Venice is wandering around outside. Do not skip San Marco - the mosaics there are fabulous.

I, also, would suggest looking at the Uffizi website and deciding for yourself whether you want to view any of the many wonderful works of art there. It's not only Botticelli, and I don't recall my enjoyment being hampered by glass. Skip the Pitti Palace - there are great paintings there, too, but it's got to be the worst-organized museum ever (or it just seemed like it).

We are very much not into shopping, but did have a lot of fun at Florence's Mercato Centrale, the one where they have all the food. If you don't need a restaurant lunch, go to the market instead, and pick up food for lunch.

Mimar

Well, if you're not a fan of Renaissance art and architecture, you could skip Florence. If you are a fan, the Uffizi is a must-see. It's one of the greatest art museums in the world. And I think everybody could appreciate the Botticellis.

Venice lends itself better to wandering around and enjoying the views. You could have a perfectly satisfactory visit to Venice without entering a single museum or church.

hazel1

And in Venice, I'd skip what some people think is the almost obligatory trip to Murano. Glass-blowing is glass-blowing and there certainly are more than enough shops in Venice itself where you can see and buy Murano glass.

Jean

Just make sure you're really looking at and buying authentic Murano glass. Most of the glass you'll see in Venice is made in China and elsewhere.

Look for this trademark in shop windows and on glass pieces:

http://www.muranoglass.com/murano/eng/uso.htm

charnees

The interior of the Duomo in Florence is large and spare, yes. However, the climb to the lantern at the top of the dome is well worth it, because you get to see how it is actually two domes, one inside the other. Read Brunelleschi's Dome if you haven't yet.

The Bargello (lots of sculpture)and the Museum of the Works of the Duomo are lovely smaller museums. I am another who finds the Uffizi less than wonderful.

And if you don't go to Fiesole, at least go up to the Piazza Michelangelo for the classic view of Florence -- it's been photographed so many times, but to stand there and see it is wonderful.

In Venice, I would also skip the glass factories. I agree with hazel1. And you don't save any money at the factory -- VERY expensive. We accepted a free ride to Murano from our hotel, and when we didn't buy anything, they wouldn't give us a ride back!! And we had to find the vaporetto which didn't leave for another hour.

dtph

This is all great advice and exactly what I'm looking for! Thanks for being detailed and giving true opinions.
I appreciate the thoughtfulness and thoroughness - especially around the Uffizi. I'll check out the site recommended to see if there is enough interest to warrant a visit, otherwise I'll stick with zeppole's advise and perhaps skip it this time.
I also appreciate this sentence by hazel1: "skip what some people think is the almost obligatory trip to Murano"
I was feeling as though it was almost obligatory as well, but really didn't want to visit Murano since I doubt I would buy any Murano glass and I just don't have enough time in Venice to spend there. I'd rather walk around there and explore.
Some of you have also made suggestions on other places to visit that I hadn't yet considered, so thank you for that as well.
Keep em coming if you'd like...Thanks!