Is Florence necessary??

Hi Sally--This question is going to elicit a variety of responses, but I personally love Florence. I consider David a "must-see," but I also saw climbing the dome of the duomo a necessity--everyone is different. For a 12 year old who loves art, I think Florence is important, and I love the Renaissance feel of the city, but I can see how traveling there with a two year old would be tough--it's compact and can be congested. Maybe the two year old would like to stretch his legs running through the Boboli Gardens with one parent while the other parent tours the Uffizi or Accademia with your older son. It seems a shame to make your 12 year old miss out on the fabulous art. I'm not sure how much of your month-long trip will be spent in Italy, but I would include Florence in the itinerary. Plus the gelato is the best in Italy!

At least for my wife and I, Sally, leaving Florence out of Italy or a month in Europe would be akin to leaving the sauce off the pasta: you could, but why would you want to? Florence is stunning and fascinating. I'd leave off Rome before Florence. (:

If your son loves art and museums, Florence is a natural. You will be in Tuscany anyway doing the hilltowns so just take a train into Florence from a nearby town. Easier than trying to drive into Florence. Don't even think of skipping Rome.

Sally, if you are traveling by train for parts of this trip, you will find that many train runs in Northern Italy stop in Florence anyway. That's when you will regret it. A couple of days in Florence, or even a day trip from a Tuscany town wouldn't hurt. Make sure to see the Accadamia and my second favorite in Florence, the Duomo museum (Opera del Duomo Museum) just behind the left rear of the Duomo. Great art associated with the Duomo including the original "Gates to Paradise" that were on the baptistery. Another thing would be to give your son the camera and let him climb the 400+ stairs of the Duomo. He can take the pictures.

" We've planned to include all the major Italian cities except Florence "

And these are? Milan? Not so exciting for kids

Naples? 'Nuff said.

Italy without Florence would be like visiting the USA without visiting NYC

A big YES to Florence.

We were in Florence for 8 days in September and plan on going back for another 5 or 6 next year. If your son loves art then I would highly recommend it, and I am sure you would enjoy it immensely as well.

Generally, I think people who love art love Florence. The Uffizi has some of the best and most well-known paintings of the Renaissance. I went to Florence on a long day trip from Rome last year and am heading back to Florence for a week at the end of this year, so I am obviously biased.

Given that Florence is roughly in the middle of the middle of the country and you should not have to go far out of your way to add two or three nights there, I would try to fit it in.

I don't love art - but I love Florence!!! Don't skip it!!!

My daughter is 12 and will get a leave from school for 2 weeks so we can go to Italy. The teachers were excited when we told them because Tuscany will be the majority of the trip. The grade 8 curriculum in our province includes Italian Renaissance and its contribution to modern Western Thinking. Not going to Florence would be unthinkable for us.

If you only had 10 days for Italy I could understand leaving Florence for another trip. But a full month should give you enough time to include it without feeling regrets about missing out in other areas.

You don't have to spend days in Florence, two maybe more than enough if you have figured out what you want to see and have it organized. The David and the Uffizi and the Duomo are the big 3. I think people like Florence because it is small and managable and they feel more confident walking around there than they do in the bigger Italian cities.
In response to John's comment that you could skip Rome, if Florence is the sauce (to use his metaphor) then Rome is the pasta!

I agree ...do not skip florence..we just returned and it was a great city...and the museums were wonderful....go there

The Renaissance started in Florence, reason enough to walk those streets and see the art that never left where it was created. Florence is a treasure, a feast for the intellect and eyes!

There are a lot of must sees in Florence. I would say if you haven't been, you should go. I've been. I liked it, there are lots of great artistic and historic treasures.

Will I go back? Maybe not, the crowds (even off season), the cost, the quality/availability of budget lodging all make it difficult to justify. I wouldn't say I'll avoid it but having seen all the must see's in Florence, I'll probably go elsewhere.

Contrast that with CT or Venice. If I'm in the area, I will do everything I can to add those to my itinerary.

You are interested in art and history and are going to leave our Florence? Our modern world exists because of the Renaissiance which started in Florence, could not have existed without the Medici. Would you go to France and leave out Paris? Why go to Italy at all if you leave out Florence and Roma? You'd go to Venice, the tackiest and most touristy city in Europe and leave out Florence? The Uffizi is one of the 5 most important museums in the world. The David, in the Accademia, is probably the single greatest piece of sculpture in the world and maybe the greatest piece of art. Leave out Florence? Impossible.

Sally,

Take two days and see Florence. Make sure you reserve in advance the Accademia & The Uffizi Gallery.

We went to Italy for a week a few years ago and My personal choices on the cities we visited were Florence, Venice, & Rome ( in that order . Same as the RS Guide)... Don't miss it.

Put Florence in your itinerary TODAY! I'm going back in June for my third visit. Florence is one of the world's most historic and beautiful cities - the birth of the renaissance and the home of Western civilzation's painting, sculpture and architectural masters - Donatello, Ghiberti, Boticelli, Fra Angelico and of course the master of the universe - Michelangelo). Seeing Michelangelo's David in the Accademia will blow your mind! Ghiberti's doors are breathtaking! The view from Piazza Michelangelo will remain with you for life.

You will regret not going to Florence...the people, views,art,history and food...fantastic. And for your son to enjoy a hidden jem of a museum is ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM - FLORENCE - wonderful Etruscan,Greek, Roman and Egyptian artifacts and all up close there are prints outs available in some rooms explaining what you are viewing. The entrance is in the courtyard behind the Accademia.
Enjoy Ciao !

Yes, you will regret it. Don't leave out Florence.

Sally,
We travelled in Italy with our kids, ages 14 & 8, a couple of years ago. Personally, we hated Florence, except for a magical moment with the David! My opinion is to stay outside of town (we stayed at the castello di Lamole just outside Greve-in-Chianti and loved it) and day-trip in for the must-sees. My family enjoyed the smaller towns, including Siena, much more than hot and crowded Florence. Whatever you do, enjoy!!!
Lisa

Im not a big fan of Florence.I stay in Siena and take the bus in for a day.I see David,markets and walk along the river.One day is enought for me but then Im not into art in a big way.

I was so excited to be in Florence the first time, and I loved the few days that I spent there in college. Then about five years ago my husband and I went to Florence to meet my cousins who were in Italy for a few days and I remember riding the bus to our hotel and looking out at the city and thinking, gee, why don't we come to Florence more often.
Less than 48 hours later I knew why. What a crush of people! Tourists everywhere! I honestly began to feel claustrophobic, too many people all trying to do the same things at the same time, it started to feel like Italy as Disneyland to me. We haven't been back since, also because my Italian husband doesn't like Tuscans, he says they think they are better than everyone else. But then again, he is from Rome, where they KNOW they are better than everyone else!

All i will say is "oh my god, you can't leave out Florence!!!!"

Kent you are numerically correct...but you have to give Claire extra points for her observations....Sally is going in the Summer...and there will be crowds! (sounds like the movie, "There will be blood.")

I am for Firenze.... don;t know how anyone coul dgo to Italy and not see it.It's unique, full of treasures and yes, it may be crowded but pick your dates well.

I am for Firenze.... don;t know how anyone coul dgo to Italy and not see it.It's unique, full of treasures and yes, it may be crowded but pick your dates well.

Husband and I had just 3 days in Florence in April 2 years ago. We would love to return--depends on whether we can save up again, of course.
If you 'like art', then Florence is a must.
We did not find it particularly crowded at that time of year and the weather was great.
We stayed at the Hotel Silla and found it to be very comfy, safe, friendly, etc.
We also had a few days in Rome...loved the history, did NOT like the city.
I honestly think you will regret it if you don't include Florence in a month-long trip. The little one won't remember anything anyway, but the older one will.
If you have time, go down to Pompeii--the 12-year-old will be in hog heaven. Most of the relics are in Naples, so try to include a stop at the museum there.

Just to make sure my vote is counted properly...let me make it clear that I'm voting for Florence...there are 4 cities in Italy that I can go back to over and over...Venice (3 trips), Rome, (2 trips) Florence (2 trips) and Milan 1 trip...(and we will go back)....the best part of going back is that you get better at enjoying the city each time you revisit it.

Count me as favorable, however I think people should go to Florence and see the Uffizi or the Baptistry not because they feel obligated too, but because they WANT to.
And I still don't understand how people will plan trips with four or five days blocked off for Florence and only two or three for Rome. Seems really lopsided to me.

Claire we've seen this over and over...only lately the CT has become THE destination...people will plan for 4 days in the CT then try to do Rome in 24 hours

Spending more time in one place than another does not always mean you value that place more. We do have "only" 4 nights in Rome but 7 nights in Tuscany. Not because we think there is more culture to see in Tuscany than in Rome but because we are travelling. And travelling for us is more than just sightseeing.

Rome will be pretty much sightseeing non-stop. For that 4 days is plenty, heck, with kids that's almost overkill. Our goal for Tuscany will be less sightseeing but more "dolce vita". That means shopping at the local market for dinner that day. And then having time to laze around the pool while waiting for the home-made pizza in the original pizza oven among the olive trees in the back of the 18th century farmhouse we are renting. It also means sitting at a lunch table as a large extended family who doesn't get to meet very often, sipping some Chianti, not worrying about the perfect itinerary.

Yes, we'll see the Uffizi but there's more to Italy than sites.

Sally

You MUST go to Florence, especially with a son interested in art. Florence is very user, and kid friendly. We rented a two bedroom apartment within walking distance of EVERYTHING and a stroller will work fine on the sidewalks and streets. We also took day trips to Siena and the Cinque Terre and then back in the CT for another day and a half, which is all you need there. Rick has a guide book on Art and History for Italy and it is a wonderful read BEFORE YOU GO. There is a great section on Florence to make sure you see all that is there. I can provide you with the apartment info if you like. Good Luck. You'll never regret going to Florence.

Kent--I think that especially for first-timers, it is easier to just follow the plan that the guidebook (whether it's RS or someone else) lays out. There is just TOO much information, and as we have seen from the itineraries posted here, people don't always have a realistic idea of how long things take/how far they are, etc.

Also, the guidebook writers have presumably mapped things out in the order that makes the most sense (and perhaps covers the most 'important' things--at least for beginners). Granted, the guidebooks are going to bear the biases of their authors and may not be to the tastes of every individual. More experienced travellers can adapt, use, and discard the "canned" suggestions to suit their personal tastes.

The responses to the OP's question shows that some people would rather stay outside of Florence and daytrip in. Others could spend a week in the city. For a 1st-timer, two or three nights is good to get an idea of which category you fall into.

Yes, but take CT for example. I had never heard of it until people started telling me they were visiting Italy and planned on going to CT. Now granted CT is beautiful, but Italy is full of beautiful places, it is a beautiful country, and you could more or less experience what you do in CT in many other parts of the country. No one talks about going to the National Park in Abruzzo, or hiking through the Alps, mostly likely because they aren't "flagged" the way they are in RS, which is perhaps a shame.

Kent, Claire,

very good points! and I can only agree with you. My feeling is that it doesn't hurt to do the "must-dos" as described by "authorities" like RS. However, the question how you do it does not have to be answered by the book.

I still think if you spend a good amount of time in Italy, Florence should be part of the experience. But how you do it is up to your own. Our vacation rental is 35 km outside of Florence. And we'll have to drive in. Everybody, including RS, warns you against driving into Florence but it allows us to experience the Tuscan country side in a way which wouldn't be possible on public transport alone.

I checked out all the accommodation suggestions in his book and nothing worked for us. In the end we booked our main places through some German rental agencies as suggested by a German-American Expat friend who lives in Rome ...

It just means I collect my information from a variety of places and not just one or two.

Another example how you can see the "must-do's" and still have an experience that includes the places left out of the guide books was our trip to Switzerland. We did see the major sites in Bern, Lucerne, Ballenberg ... but we didn't stay overnight in any of theses places. Had an appartment somewhere in a tiny village in the Emmental region, got woken up by cow bells every morning. No hotel pool anywhere in sight but a very cold bath in the river Emme with the local kids was certainly more memorable. And not to be found in any guide book:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7cf07b3127ccec2e16861b59500000016100AbtG7do2YuWIPbz4E

I believe also the RS books on Italy shy away from Southern Italy, yes?
Here you see the occasionally posting for Sicily, but otherwise it seems that most people think there is nothing between the Amalfi coast and Sicily, or anything south of Bologna on the eastern side of the country. While obviously someone on their first trip to Italy should aim for certain spots, there are other towns here that I feel have been really overdone. Orvieto for example or dare I say it, Cinque Terre. These are small places which at this point must be overrun with RS disciples, and while they are lovely, you find the same landscape and sea going further into Liguria, and other equally picturesque hill towns. CT must have been lovely a few years back, now it sounds as about as crowded as Florence in the high season.

I, personally, would regret missing Florence, my favorite city in the world. There's more to it than art although anyone interested in art wouldn't want to miss it. I love the markets, the food, the people, too. I follow Rick's recommendations frequently but it's the spirit of the recommendation that really matters. I wanted to eat at a restaurant listed in his Venice book but found it closed so I ate at another one nearby. The food was fantastic and filled with gondoliers, not a tourist in sight. Rick is not big on Pisa but I'm going there for sentimental reasons (my dad's squadron was ordered NOT to bomb the tower or any other historic building during WWII). So, while I would only leave out Florence if concentrating on the south or east coast, follow your interests not someone else's. By the way, even a 12y/o who loves art and museums may be overwhelmed.

Hi Sally,
I will visiting Greece for 14 days and Italy for 10 days. At first, we were unsure where to go except Rome and Cinque Terre - two must see places for us. After doing ALOT of research on tripadvisor and this website and recommendations from family in Athens, everyone, well...nearly everyone, said we had to include Florence. We were told to even skip Cinque Terre on this trip to see Florence. We have 10 days so are doing Cinque Terre, Florence, Orvieto, and Rome. You have a MONTH! FLorence should be on your itinerary! :) I'm sure you will love it. We can't wait!
Shannon

Hi again,
We are spending 3 nights in CT; 3 nights in Florence; 1 night in Orvieto; 4 nights in Rome. I think it does boil down to personal preference on some things. We live in Chicago. Have great restaurants; great museums; great people but also want a break from city life. So, on our vacation to Italy we booked just enough in each city to get a taste but left enough time to spend away from the city and traffic since we deal with that on a daily basis. CT & Orvieto are very important destination for us. Do what your heart tells you to do. Remember, you can't think as if you'll never return so don't squeeze too much in. We happen to adore Greece and return there often. If you travel frequently then maybe you could leave out FLorence on this trip. If you don't get to Europe very often then I would say include it. Happy travels!
Shannon

It's absolutely worth at least a day in Florence. Musts include seeing the David and the Duomo. We also saw the Uffizi - but kids weren't as excited about that. It was not at the top of my list when we planned our trip - but it is truly a beautiful city and I'm so glad we saw it.

Allora!

How could you NOT visit Firenze, it works its magic on you 24/7. It is filled with art, history, gardens,markets and it so easy to get around.

You will regret it as Firenze is the essence of Itay, have a wonderful time away!

even if you skip the museums, florence is a wonder to wander through. you could stare at the outside of the duomo for hours and not get bored. i am not a huge art person, but i really enjoy florence. its worth at least a day and a night.