Free Sundays in Florence?

"slack-jawed gawkers", oh lawd, I have missed Pat Conroy. Jeff, I think your plan is a winner. please come back and tell us how your trip was. Looking forward to it!

Sorry Shelly, that was a Montgomery Burns reference. I'm not sweating it much. All the museums could be closed and I'm pretty sure just walking around Florence could amuse me for days (slack-jawed gawkers aside)! I've toyed with the idea of posting during my journey, but I will be sure to check back in once I'm stateside.

Yes, Just walking around will astonish you. Ha, Monty Burns; also a worthy literary reference!

Here's my experience with the first Sunday in October in Florence last fall.

We had already been in Florence for almost five weeks (and for another week a few years ago) so we had already visited many incredible places. We were strolling from our apartment on the eastern edge of the medieval city to go see the Benozzo Gozzoli chapel when it opened at 9:00am. We were joined by more and more and more people walking rapidly in the same direction and wondered what the heck. I did not notice the state of their jaws.

Soon we saw a long, long line of people snaking into the distance and asked someone what the line was for --- yes, it was for the free Sunday at the Accademia. So, no, you are not being paranoid at all.

For what it's worth, and speaking as a person who loves medieval and Renaissance painting and sculpture (and who has experienced a lot of it and even studied it in school and for a month at the British institute in Florence) and who also can see that Benozzo Gozzoli is quite a minor artist compared to the artists in the Accademia and Bargello, I would take the Chapel of the Magi over both sculpture museums for just pure enjoyment. Plus, there were almost no other people in the chapel for the hour or so we were there. So much easier to enjoy things in peace!

I'm not at all suggesting that you skip those museums, just saying that the tiny chapel turned out to be one of my most favorite things in Florence. And I hope you can return to Florence and see things like that without the crowds and lines. And good luck --- somebody has to be the first person in line, right?

We also found ourselves in Florence in June on the free Sunday. Like you we got tickets to the Uffizi the day before and decided to also do the Accademia on the same day. If your schedule allows that would be a preferable option to dealing with the free Sunday crowds. Then on Sunday we visited the Duomo, climbed the dome and visited the Duomo museum (one of the best museums on our trip). If you take the climb it will be about an hour up and down. On Sunday, you can do the Baptistry, Bell Tower, and Museum in the morning. The Cathedral doesn’t open until the afternoon (the lines were really long when we went).

Have a great trip,
Sandy

Thanks for the responses from all!
I may adjust my schedule and get an Accademia reservation for Saturday to avoid a line. It would put the Bargello as the first thing to get in line for on Sunday morning followed by the museum at the Duomo and the climb later on. I have a city tour lined up for Sunday in the early evening and after contacting the tour guide, she said everything is just plain busy and crowded on a free Sunday. It’s a guided photography walk and I’m excited to get a local’s perspective. Again, thanks for the response. I plan to make a trip report when I return.
Jeff

My experience is that lines at the Accademia on a free Sunday are considerably shorter late in the day.