Monday-Friday in Florence -

Two restaurants that I like are Il Caminetto and Hostaria Gagino, both near the Duomo.

The big sights in Florence are the Accademia and the Uffizi. I also like San Marco Museum, Bargello Museum, just walking around some of the piazze at any time of day/night, the view from the Fortezza or from Piazzale Michelangelo with San Miniato al Monte right above it, Palazzo della Signoria, Santa Maria Novella, Boboli Gardens. And you'll have time to do side trips to Fiesole, Siena, Arezzo, San Sepolcro.

La Maremma near Ponte Vecchio, and Ciro & Sons, near Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Yum!

Medici Chapel

FYI, you can supplement Rick's books, which you said you have, by downloading free Audio Tour versions of some of the city walks and museum tours.

lydia,

If you're planning on visiting any of the main sights, you might want to have a look at either the Italy guidebook or the smaller Florence version, as they have a lot of useful information. For the Uffizi or Accademia, reservations are highly advisable.

The Uffizi and Accademia (the David) are both closed on Mondays.
Recommend no shorts, short skirts or bare shoulders at churches in Florence, especially at the Duomo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, and the Brancacci and Medici Chapels.

Thanks everyone looks like we should plan on spending at least 2 of the days just in Florence. I do have most of Rick's books but older versions and I do love to hear other's ideas.

I just read about Florence New Year's Event celebrated on March 25th. It says it is happening this year but I can't find any other mention about it other than this link http://www.florencewebguide.com/florence-events-calendar-march-2013.html
Does anyone know about this and is it indeed an annual event? The link says 2013 but if you go there it is listed as 2015.