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Florence-Rome Itinerary

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I’m in Sicily on business for the summer and want to take a short break in Rome & Florence. I’d like to share my potential itinerary and get some feedback. I’m particularly curious about how the “skip-the-line” tickets work.

Here’s what I have in mind for Florence (1 ½ days):
- Uffizi
- Academia
- Duomo Complex
These galleries/sites seem to be the most time sensitive. It seems that it will be cheaper to buy tickets to these sites directly, rather than buying the Firenze Card. However, I’m concerned about time spent in line, even with pre-purchased tickets, since they’re only open on one day that I’ll be in Florence. Would the Firenze Card get me through lines any faster?

Here’s what I have in mind for Rome (3 ½ days):
- Colosseum
- The Forum
- Pantheon
- Vatican
- Some of the fountains
Any “must sees” that I can squeeze in? Any opinions on the Borghese Gallery in Rome?

Posted by
4152 posts

You should have enough time for the Borghese gallery. Book in advance to reserve a time slot.

donna

Posted by
15798 posts

Rome - I love the Borghese. If you enjoy art museums, allow plenty of time for the Vatican Museums. A few meters from the Pantheon is a plaza with a Bernini sculpture . It is in front of the San Luigi Church (beautiful with several Caravaggios).

Florence - I've seen lines at the Uffizi and the Academia for ticket holders in the past. The Academia is a short visit if you only want to see the Michelangelos. What do you plan to see at the "Duomo Complex?"

Posted by
7 posts

Thanks for the suggestions!

Chani - We haven't figured out what the best part of the Duomo Complex might be. Any suggestions? Time is limited there due to the weekend schedule. We figure the dome is a must...what about the cathedral, baptistry & bell tower?

**We have afternoon tickets to Academia on Sat & afternoon tickets to Ufizzi on Sun, which leaves a small amount of time in the morning on Sun since we're coming into Florence Sat. morning. The cathedral & dome aren't open Sun morning, so we may have to try to squeeze them in along with the Academia on Sat. Is that doable? How long does it take to tour the cathedral and dome?

Posted by
15798 posts

How long does it take to climb the dome? Dunno, 463 steps. The Bell Tower is only 414 steps. Some prefer the tower because you get a good close-up view of the dome. But then you don't get to see the interior structure of the dome. The Baptistry has beautiful doors (seen from the outside on your own (though I'm not sure how much the scaffolding covers up - if the scaffolding is still there). Inside, the dome ceiling is the attraction, 1/2 hour maybe? The Duomo interior doesn't take very long either. The art works are in the Duomo museum "Museo dell'Opera del Duomo" and is well worth a visit (1-2 hours).

Posted by
7 posts

Thank you all for your insight. This information has been helpful in narrowing down what we'd like to see on our short trip!

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