One day in Florence

Academia is in my opinion all bout david for us non art people. Uffizi would not be worth your time. Goto the duomo and walk around the downtown. Shop and relax if art is not your favorite.

Ok, thanks! :-)

Nancy, thank you so much. This is the kind of information I needed. It's not that I don't want to see any art, etc., it's just that our time is so limited, I need to maximize everything. I really appreciate your response.

Hi I think the church of Santa Croce is one that you should consider. It is like Westminster Abbey in the sense that it contains tombs of so many greats in art and history, as well as being important as a church. It also has under its roof the leather school, which sells expert leather goods. For lower priced ones, of course, there are the street stalls across town at San Lorenzo, but on the way from Santa Croce toward the Piazza Signora, you go along a street chockablock with small shops for scarves and leather goods, as well. The Boboli Gardens are lovely but quite a hike across the river, up to the Pitti Palace, and then a walk uphill through the gardens behind the Palace so you need at least 2 hours and good energy. Once there, there are many "departments" within the gardens, but they are quintessentially Italian and the views are great. Brunelleschi's cathedral is the Duomo. It is empty now (literally) but the dome is so architecturally important that you might want to go inside and look up. There are tours that start inside that take you up to see the roof level and describe the entire construction, including the bell tower, which is interesting. From there you can also climb higher. You can book a highlights tour of the Uffizi online, which is a timed entrance and helps you skip some of the wait.

Another choice is the San Marco Museum, just north of the Accademia. This used to be a Dominican church/convent, and contains the paintings by Fra Angelico for each of the friars' cells. It gives you a sense of Renaissance religious life - each fresco was to serve as a meditation focus for the friar as he prayed, studied, and prepared to preach. It's a small museum and won't overwhelm you, but gives something most other museums don't. You can visit the Accademia and San Marco in a morning or afternoon and still shop the day away. I've been to the Boboli gardens and museum, don't feel the need to return. The Duomo is the Cathedral, famous for Brunelleschi's dome (you can climb to the top of the dome, as well as the bell tower). I would suggest the baptistry as well (in the same piazza). The Bargello is a very interesting museum. I would vote for the Accademia rather than the Uffizi.

Hi Zoe, that's an interesting comment to choose the Accademia over the Uffizi. Is it because if you do the Museum Bargello you get a lot of the same type of art representation at both places? The reason I ask is because I was thinking the exact opposite! I've seen David and was thinking that was the main attraction at the Accademia...granted it's been 20 years so my memory might be a little hazy!

My parents and I were in Florence in March of 2010. We loved the Accademia gallery. We walked on the bridge on the Arno and stopped at a cafe and had a drink a a pastry upstairs in a little room. We went inside the church next to the fake copy of David. The fountain there is really cool. The line for the Uffizi was too long we missed it. The Arno was gorgeous!!

Mary, besides the David, there is a collection of unfinished works by Michelangelo at the Accademia. The painting gallery upstairs is also worth a visit, which makes it a sort of mini-Uffizi for people who want some of that experience but not the miles of galleries and hundreds of years of artwork - the Accademia is more focused. The Bargello is one I would recommend for the same reasons.

Make a reservation for the Uffizi and download Rick's Tour. It will save you time and money. At night is when Florence comes alive. There are chalk sidewalk artists, musicians and so much more to enjoy at night while you stroll around eating your gelato or sit and have a cup of hot chocolate so thick you think its pudding and watch the strollers. The Medici Chapel is a beauty and near San Lorenzo Market.

You don't need three days to see Florence but one day is not too much time. Nancy really got it right. Hard to pass up the Acadimia. The Uffizzi has great art work, one of the best in the world. The Acadimia does't take much time but the uffizi will. Get reservations. Also I loved Santa Croce. So many tombs of famous people.
We did do it all in one day. We started at the Academia. Our next stop was the Uffizi. We than walked across the Ponte Vecchio and climbed Piazza Michaelanglo (Great view of Florence). We walked down and visited Santa Croce. You can do it all in one day but be prepared for some walking. We never ate so much in Italy but lost weight anyway because of all the walking!