Rome or Florence in 4 (and a half) days?
Jun 27th, 2019 | 08:56 AM
#24
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 12,332
Likes: 0
Both the Uffizi and the Accademia in Florence sell timed entry tickets. In late May these were sold out several days in advance. It may be possible to wait in line to get in (I don't know), but that's not a good use of your limited time. It may get worse over the summer if that's when you're going, so plan ahead. I don't know the official website but it's easily found online. This is likely the situation with many other places you may want to visit in Rome as well, including museums, ancient sites (Colosseum, Forum). The exception being churches in Rome or the Vatican which you can enter without a ticket. There is a security screening to pass through to get into St. Peter's Basilica, and the line can be long, but it generally moves pretty quickly. Visiting these popular places early in the day before busloads of tourists descend en-masse will help you avoid getting mobbed.
Jun 27th, 2019 | 09:45 AM
#25
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 8,336
Likes: 0
The Uffizi is a huge museum, focused on Italian Renaissance painting, mostly of religious subjects. It's also very crowded, even though they limit entries. It's not easy to do a quick visit. Unless your daughter is passionale about that sort of art, I would give priority to other museums.
The Accademia is much more manageable, although apart from Michelangelo's David, there's not a whole lot else to see there.
The Bargello is a sister museum of the Uffizi, focussed on sculture. It's never crowded, and doesn't need reservations.
The Museum of San Marco, in a former convent, has the monks' cella decorated by marvelous frescoes by the the great artist, known in Italian as the Beato Angelico; in English he's more known as Fra Angelico. This is another crowd-free museum.
The Museum of the Duomo has a great collection of art that was once in the Duomo, and a lot of interesting displays of the history of the building, and the construction of its great dome.
The Accademia is much more manageable, although apart from Michelangelo's David, there's not a whole lot else to see there.
The Bargello is a sister museum of the Uffizi, focussed on sculture. It's never crowded, and doesn't need reservations.
The Museum of San Marco, in a former convent, has the monks' cella decorated by marvelous frescoes by the the great artist, known in Italian as the Beato Angelico; in English he's more known as Fra Angelico. This is another crowd-free museum.
The Museum of the Duomo has a great collection of art that was once in the Duomo, and a lot of interesting displays of the history of the building, and the construction of its great dome.
Jun 27th, 2019 | 10:03 AM
#26
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 10,493
Likes: 1
I minored in Art History in college, but prefer Rome as a city, so if it were me I’d just stay in Rome and maybe see Florence on a day trip. My favorites in Florence for art: San Marco, Brancacci Chapel, Santa Croce.
Maybe I missed what time of year this trip is. Almost three years ago I visited Rome in the summer with first-timers. So we booked the Friday evening Vatican Museums visit with apperitivi as way to avoid the worst of the crowds. That worked out very well. They also visited the Colosseum, I think at night too (didn’t join them). So if you have those type of “musts,” consider visiting outside of regular hours.
Maybe I missed what time of year this trip is. Almost three years ago I visited Rome in the summer with first-timers. So we booked the Friday evening Vatican Museums visit with apperitivi as way to avoid the worst of the crowds. That worked out very well. They also visited the Colosseum, I think at night too (didn’t join them). So if you have those type of “musts,” consider visiting outside of regular hours.
Jun 27th, 2019 | 08:12 PM
#27
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,819
Likes: 0
tamaraten - If i were a travel agent who wanted your repeat business I'd not sell you that itinerary. I'd advise you to leave Florence for the future or be satisfied to get just a taste on a day trip. It's not really "grueling" unless you try to cram in too much.
