Florence on First Sunday

Found this webpage with some useful discussion about first Sundays in Florence:

• "The Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery are particularly popular, but even the less iconic sites will be teeming with tourists and locals alike. Queues will often be snaking around the block so I recommend visiting lesser-known sites on the Florence Free Sunday."
• "Visiting smaller state museums can be a great workaround as even though they have a lot to see, they aren’t as popular. Alternatively, you might want to head to the Boboli Gardens as there’s generally more wide-open space to explore so it doesn’t feel as busy."
• "If you can, it’s also a great idea to schedule your trip over the first Sunday of a less popular season. The Florence Free Sunday events in November and December tend to be quieter than those in May and June for example."

I'm not sure how to distinguish "less iconic sites" that "will be teeming with tourists and locals alike" from the "smaller state musuems" that "aren't as popular."
Also, I'm still left wondering about the sites that are free only to locals like Palazzo Vecchio, Duomo Museum, and Medici Riccardi Palace.

Found this regarding Bargello on a First Sunday in Sept. 2024 in a Facebook discussion:

• "go early- I happened to catch it last month- it was awesome but by the time I left, the line was snaked outside the building! I was there around 10 am"

Found this in another RS forum post from 2017:

• "I've been in Florence multiple times on the first Sunday. Lines at the Uffizi are always ridiculously long while the Accademia is hit or miss. Lines there are usually long, but I've occasionally stumbled across fairly short lines early or late. Even then it's a bit crowded, but I suspect it's a bit crowded almost any day. Keep in mind that it's only state-owned museums that are free on the first Sunday, so the Duomo Museum won't be free and probably won't be crowded. San Marco Museum is generally closed on the first Sunday. Medici Chapel is hit or miss; I've seen both moderately long and very short lines. Because some rooms are small, for me it always feels a little crowded. The Pitti Palace complex is huge. The line looks long but moves pretty quickly. Once inside, it's not overly crowded because people scatter to the various museums and the Boboli Gardens. The nearby Bardini Gardens are also free on the first Sunday, are well worth a visit and are never crowded. They're most easily accessed by exiting the Boboli Gardens at Forte di Belvedere and following the signs (you can re-enter there again if you wish). They also have one of my favorite views of Florence - just circle the main house to your left as you exit the ticket office/bookstore."

Encouraging about the Bardini Gardens at least.

Bardini Gardens offers a lovely view of the Florence skyline (Duomo, Baptisyery, Campanile, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, etc).

Of all the museums, I’d probably try the Bargello right at opening. It tends to be undervisited so maybe going first thing in the morning on a free day won’t be so crowded.

Thanks, Accidental Southerner.
I am thinking of trying the Duomo museum in the morning on that Sunday.
I will try to visit Bargello on Friday or Saturday.
I was relieved to find that the Bargello hours are longer than what is written in the RS guidebook, which makes it easier to fit around my other plans. (RS says it closes at 13:50, but currently it is open till 18:50 M,T-Sa; it does close at 13:50 on Su).
I am also considering to visit Bardini Gardens and maybe Forte di Belvedere.

The Duomo museum tends to be under-visited too, at least by tourists, so putting that for first thing Sunday could work out well. And hopefully the locals will still be having their cappuccino!