Florence for 1 day planning ideas in May

The Medici chapels are an amazing find, but check RS Italy guide for the days and hours it is open. In the tiny chapel with the Michelangelo sculptures, there is a wall covered by plexiglass which purportedly protects the sculptor's written instructions. The Uffizi is a long slog, and I must confess to really not enjoying the experience because of the crowds and the room after room of things that are not familiar artists and periods. Botticelli's Birth of Venus was grand.

The Bargallo is a better experience, IMO, and the Accademia is more Michelangelo, with David and "The Prisoners," which are unfinished sculptures. Sometimes there is an exhibition that is interesting, but David is pretty much the star.

The Museo del Duomo, in a separate building behind the Duomo, is a magnificent museum. Donatello's Mary Magdeline will keep you awake for days, staring into the shadows of your hotel room looking for ghosts. Michelangelo's Pieta was carved toward the end of his life, as opposed to his first, and better known, Pieta in St. Peter's in Rome, which was carved when he was a very young man. In the Florence treatment, Michelangelo superimposed his face on the body of Nicodemus. There are also the original Baptistry doors by Ghiberti; the ones on the Baptistry are copies.

There is an anatomical wax museum, La Specola, which was used to train doctors for centuries, and in the Gallileo Museum the astronomer's finger is in a jar.

Great food near the Mercato Centrale, both in the market and in the square outside. Trattoria Mario is an amazing hole in the wall place with the best (rustic, informal) food I have ever eaten. Go early or be prepared to wait.

and is it overly busy I see tickets are timed entry?

A museum that requires time entry will probably be one of the less crowded museums you visit, since they control the number of visitors allowed to enter.

With so little time, you probably shouldn't tackle the Uffizi, even with a timed entry you could find yourselves spending hours there. It isn't easy to "escape" once you're well inside because it's basically a long "U" shape. Of course it's full of treasures, so's the whole city but you don't have the days it would take to "see everything."

I'd think the most efficient use of time would be a walk through the center, using a map to plan a route that might include the Mercato Centrale, Medici Chapels, Duomo/Campanile/Baptistery (outside), Bargello, and Piazza della Signoria. If time allows, the Duomo Museum is very good and relatively less crowded. An extension of the walk over to Santa Croce might also be possible. Certainly head down to the river to see it and the Ponte Vecchio. Have lunch maybe at the Mercato or maybe in the Piazza, wherever your timetable and feet dictate.

I don't know about a National Archeology Museum -- in Florence?

The Uffizi is wonderful but it can be very crowded. I recommend the Bargello Museum, wonderful art and the building is really nice. Less crowded and has some good Michelangelo art in there. I highly recommend the Accademia so you can see David, but plan ahead and get your timed ticket in advance. Then you just go to a different window across the street with your voucher (ask the museum staff at the entrance) and then you can walk right in. Makes a big difference. The rest of the time, walk around and find a place for lunch.

Some of my favorites:
Michelangelo's David and "prisoners" statues at the Accademia;
Fra Angelico frescoes at Museo San Marco (close to Accademia, no lines!);
Inside of Baptistry, wonderful mosaics.

The Bargello is my type of museum, Sculpture, Pottery and history. great Input ..
Do the timed tickets essentially allow you to skip the lines at Academia? my wife has not seen it and I remember its small space.
Thanks...