Museums in Florence

This site http://www.museumsinflorence.com/

Hi Mike,

If you've got a public library, check if they carry RS's Florence and Tuscany guidebook. Or just buy one here at this website. There is wonderful information updated annually about all the Florence museums as well as very helpful information on how to buy tickets in advance. Our library in town has many of his guidebooks and yours may too.

Good luck.

I bought Rick's Steves Italy 2017.

Rick only lists what is of interest to him, and the most famous art museums and churches, along with the Galileo museum and the archaeology museum in Naples. Not that I need a reason but my reason for looking for things not in this book is, perhaps just because they are there, and I was raised Jewish, so churches wouldn't be spiritually meaningful to me and I am not necessarily that much interested in the history of Christianity. Of course I would go into a church if it was part of a tour but it looks like there are places that have Etruscan objects, landscaped gardens, and so on.

Your question was answered in the first post, but I am compelled to reply to this comment of yours:

I was raised Jewish, so churches wouldn't be spiritually meaningful
to me and I am not necessarily that much interested in the history of
Christianity.

While you are certainly free to see or not see any sight as you see fit, I think by avoiding churches simply because you are not Christian is doing yourself a disservice. European churches have some of the best architecture and artwork to be seen outside of museums. In fact some of them exceed what can be seen in museums. You don't have to be a believer to appreciate beauty.

Would you also refrain from visiting the temples in China or Japan because you don't practice Buddhism or Shintoism? Would you going to avoid the Sistine Chapel because it, too, is a church?

I was raised Jewish, so churches wouldn't be spiritually meaningful to
me and I am not necessarily that much interested in the history of
Christianity. Of course I would go into a church if it was part of a
tour but it looks like there are places that have Etruscan objects,
landscaped gardens, and so on.

As with Cjean, I think you're selling it short skipping the churches just because you're Jewish. The art is the narrative of Florence - the history - as well as the narrative of Renaissance art. It's all related.

Most Italian churches are small art museums with oil paintings, sculpture and sometimes frescoes (especially in Florence) and mosaics (the Baptistry ceiling). They are often architectural gems as well. While there are invariably representations from the New Testament, there are usually subjects from the Hebrew bible as well. Aside from their artistic value, there's a lot of information to be gleaned from them. I like to see the medieval garb the subjects are wearing, for example. If you are interested the the Etruscans, put the National Etruscan Museum, Villa Julia, in Rome on your list.

To your original question, Frommer's destination sites list "all" attractions, though they aren't comprehensive, they usually include all major and many minor sights.

And there's an old synagogue in Florence which you can visit -- see where the Arno overflowed.

I was raised Jewish, so churches wouldn't be spiritually meaningful to me and I am not necessarily that much interested in the history of Christianity. Of course I would go into a church if it was part of a tour but it looks like there are places that have Etruscan objects, landscaped gardens, and so on.

I was raised culturally Jewish and religiously something like secular humanist. Much of the best art of the Renaissance is religious art and much of that is in churches. While the religious significance means very little to me, as a cultural Jew and religious atheist, the art remains amazing. I do not need an appreciation of St. Paul's epiphany to enjoy Caravaggio's controversial painting of it in Rome, and I do not need an appreciation of any part of the bible to appreciate the wonder of Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise in the Duomo museum of Florence.

I encourage you to enjoy the art and architecture of churches all over Europe. The ones of Florence are special for the beautiful marble exteriors as well as the art inside. Please, put aside whatever sectarian lack of interest you have, purely in the name of appreciating wonders of art and design.

You will be much richer for doing so.