Out of the ordinary things to do in Florence

Hi egeller315 -

We’ve done the usual sites...

It would help to know more exactly what you've already seen? For some tourists, "usual sites" may be limited to the Uffizi, Accademia and duomo.

Lucca is an oft-recommended side trip out of the city.

Airbnb has a nice selection of "experiences" to consider. We're looking at a sunset bike ride into town from Fiesole. Chianti wine/food day trip (with the airbnb guide). There's a treasure hunt experience that sounds fun too.

Villa Bardini is a recently opened museum, only mildly interesting, but the top of garden of the villa offers the best sight over Florence.
Only few tourists manage to see a significant portion of Palazzo Pitti, so that could be an idea as well.

When will you be in Florence? Some out of the ordinary things aren't ongoing, such as the Iris Garden and wine events.

Edit: Pistoia is a nice and easy day trip from Florence any time of year. There's lots to see, some nice restaurants and a large market on Wednesday mornings. Visit (or revisit) the main square in the afternoon once the market stalls are gone.

Second Kathy's the recommendation about Lucca. Walking or riding a bike around the 2.5 miles of city walls is an altogether pleasant pleasant way to spend an afternoon ... or a day. .
Montacatini Terme is another very pleasant place for an exploratory stroll. Some of the spas in the town are truly world class if you want to indulge yourself for a day, and there's a funicular that will take you up to the village of Montacatini Alto - spectacular views and several nice places for lunch.
Though you've already been to Fiesole, consider taking the Passegiata Panoramica walk out towards Monte Ceceri. There's a very pretty forest walk there that features broad, panoramic views of Florence and which eventually meanders past some old marble quarries to a lookout that has a small monument to Leonardo's first attempt to test one of his flying machines, which took place there back around 1508.

Not to denegrate our forum host, but get a guide book from some other publisher and read things to do. We know Rick's guides can't and don't cover everything.
As mentioned, have you seen the museums and gardens in the proximity of Boboli and Pitti? Fiesole at sunset is supposed to be lovely. Glad to know Villa Bardini is open for visiting.

What about the leather school?
Personally, I have a thing for gardens, and Florence has its share. Not sure if it's on the US Netflix, but Monty Don's Gardens of Italy are on Canadian Netflix and offers some near Florence.
EDIT: I subscribe to the website Atlas Obscura that gives feeds of different and obscure things for we folk with eclectic tastes. In my mailbox today is their map of Europe with all their 5000+ obscure things on it. Here is the linkhttps://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/europe-map?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=6e51e91724-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_07_15_Not_Chicago&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f36db9c480-6e51e91724-64633025&ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_07_15_2019_Not_Chicago)&mc_cid=6e51e91724&mc_eid=6f71391833
alternatively, if you don't like hyperlinks, the website is atlasobscura.com and though the map linked above is not on the front page, you can search for 'Florence' and see what turns up.

Look into doing an Eatwith.com dinner with other travelers. We've done that twice in Rome and once in Barcelona and really enjoyed all three.

More here:
https://www.eatwith.com/search?q=Florence%2C%20Italy

I would search for a rare tour of a private or university Villa or at least its garden, just outside town.

Keep an eye on the English news site for Florence: www.theflorentine.net which often lists different ideas.

hey hey egeller
Take a train to watch the famous butcher, Dario cecchini and his showmanship cutting meat in his shop and lunch in his restaurant in panzano in Chianti
come&seeitaly.com
barga and Garfagnana area and hills above lucca
arteleonardo.com take a half day art class, your choosing.
getyourguide.com
Bomboloni in Florence?
(future paticceria and paticceria vinci & bongini) a dessert/pastry. Check the times available late nights/early mornings.
have fun with whatever you decide
aloha

Orvieto is nice. So is Castellina in Chianti.

I also vote for Lucca as a side trip. Heard a Puccini concert at a Church, which was beautifully done, rented a bike to ride along ramparts, ate some great food. If you are a reader, recommend Bella Figura by Kamin Mohammadi. She spent a year in Florence, very descriptive about local area & people. I plan on retracing some of her steps my next trip.

I second the idea of the Pitti Palace. But have you been to the Modern Art museum that is part of it? Mostly representational paintings by local Tuscan artists in the 1800's. Beautiful stuff!

Also, have you been to the Oltrarno? Specifically the Brancacci Chapel?

Science Museum. You can see Galileo's middle finger. :) The geocentric armillaria are fascinating. And if you ask nicely, an attendant might show you a copy of, De revolutionibus, with the ordered "correction."

You may also be able to walk the Vasari Corridor.
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/the-vasari-corridor.html
The article says not open till 2012, but I'm seeing conflicting info on the web that it might be open already.

The one, out of the way, place that stuck with us was Basilica di S.Miniato a Monte and its cemetery. The graves reflect the art movements of the time. So you have all these different styles of grave sites. And the Italians go ALL OUT on family grave sites.

There is also Prato, short train ride, and what has to be the most authentic medieval castle, Castello dell'Imperatore, I've ever seen.

Watch the sunset over Florence at Piazza Michelangelo. BYO wine and snacks.

DH and I have visited Florence 5 times. Last trip we took the city bus to the Museum of the Last Supper of Andrea Del Sarto. The museum is definitely off the beaten tourist track. It was wonderful to view such a spectacular work of art in situ without a crush of other tourists. Museum is free to enter as well.

If you are into art, go see the Basilica of Santa Croce. The frescoes there are what Da Vinci and Michelangelo learned/ drew inspiration from. Masaccio was the first to figure out perspective and helped to start the Italian Renaissance. (the knowledge was lost after the Greeks and Romans).