Rome, Florence & Venice Museums

My wife and I were there in May, this year. We're not into museums either and didn't visit any in Venice (too much other stuff to do and see) or Rome, but in Florence we had purchased advance tickets for the Academia and Uffizi. Both were full of wonderful artwork and I'm glad we went. Seeing Michaelangelo's David at Academia was special. Rome, ahh, Rome, is a huge museum itself with lots to see without spending precious time in a stuffy museum; however, we do regret not going to the Borghese (next time). You can't go to Rome without touring the Vatican, which is a large, spectacular museum, or St Peter's Basilica, both too beautiful for words. I'm sure you'll have a great trip and enjoy Italy whatever you decide.

That's a great question.
In Venice, since you'll probably visit the Doges Palace, let's not count this one.
The other one to visit in my opinion is Galleria dell'Academia. You'll see there some Mantegna, Titien, Tintoretto, Veronese, all major artists from the rennaissance period. You don't have to reserve in advance
In Florence, it's tough to see only one... :-)
My last visit was for 3 days, and we saw 5 or 6 of them.
-Accaddemia Gallery Michelangelo's David. An emotional moment, a breathtaking piece, we stayed there for 30 minutes, just going around, also listening to RS audio explanations on this piece. It's just superb. We saw the rest of the museum, but I don't remember much since for my this museum is all David.
-Uffizi Gallery for important pieces from Botticelli, Leonardo DaVinci, Raphael, Titien and so many more.
-Bargello Museum if you are more into sculpture. Its a fantastic one for that. One of the main piece is Donnatello's David. But there's many more major pieces that made history.
-The museum of the duomo. another great one
-Palazzo Pitti Museum.

Tough to choose only one. I guess looking back, I would pick Uffizzi, but would buy a ticket for Academia just to see David for 15 minutes. Do reserve in advance if you do not want to wait 60-90 minutes in line for both.

In Rome, picking one only is tough as well.
the Vatican one is an absolute must. I think I would add the borghese one. So many fine pieces there. Capitolini is also a great one...
You must reserve Borghese, otherwise you can't go in. If you go to the Vatican, I recommend reserving also, just to avoid the potential big lines.

Claude

Thank you all for your suggestions. Right now I’m inclined to see Accademia, Uffizi, Vatican Museums & Borghese. I feel like those are a good start for a beginner but if I have time we’ll visit Galleria dell' Accademia in Venice. I’m so excited & looking forward to this trip.

I liked the Duomo museum in Florence. Walked right in, no crowds. Loved the original baptistry doors

Take a look at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice. It was my favorite museum in Venice. Excellent collection and great free tours. Personally, I thought the Accademia in Venice was very stuffy. I woul rather just be outside, wandering through the streets and canals. Florence: the Uffizi is amazing (RS guide is excellent). Rome: Villa Borghese- along with the ancient sites like the colosseum and Pantheon.

Thank you for the great suggestions as this will help me narrow down which ones to definitely go to.

I love museums and art galleries, so maybe I'm not the best person to advise you.

However, my thought would be to skip the big popular (deservedly popular) places and instead see some of the interesting smaller galleries and museums that are unique to each city. These places will not be crowded and are in much less touristed areas of each city, and it will be far easier for you to take photographs in them.

In Venice, the Museo Storico Navale --- the Naval History Museum.

In Florence, the Museo Bardini --- the interior of the building itself is wonderful and there is a hillside garden with great views of Florence.

In Rome, try the Centrale Montemartini --- it's ancient Roman sculptures in an old electrical power plant.

Regarding Florence: If you're not into art, the crowds of Uffizi could make it a pretty miserable experience. At the Accademia, you can just admire the David and leave if you want, the Uffizi requires more of a commitment.

I would suggest that you consider the Bargello - it's not that crowded and offers beautiful art in an old jail.

Suggestions for Venice.
The Maratime Museum, which is not the same as the naval museum noted above. Has full size boats, explains a lot about Venice’s water history. On Fondamenta de l’Arsenale.
The Palazzo Fortuny, a museum of sorts in thne home of the Fortuny family.
The Querini Stampalia Foundation, see how a Venetian family lived a couple of hundred years ago.
The Tri Oci photo gallery on Giudecca.
The Hospital Library.

All “second string” attractions, never crowded.

Thanks for all the great advices. This forum makes planning a lot more easier.

It's interesting to read the other advices after my post.
Proof that there's so much to see depending on our tastes.
I would never think of a guggenheim Museum as I'm not a fan of modern art. But my friend breathes for modern art.
A lot to choose, all great ideas, have a wonderful trip.
Claude

Yes lot of great ideas & lot of choices so it gets overwhelming. Of course the big ones like the Uffizi are obvious but I believe the less popular ones may even be better but less know thus why I had to ask to keep my mind open to not the so obvious ones.
Thank you all.

In some ways - much of Italy is a living "museum" in and of itself. You may think of some of the churches as museums because of the art, history, and architecture. You may prefer visiting churches and historical palaces instead. I can't speak for the month of November - but the Vatican Museum, Accademia, and Uffizi can be mob houses. At least with statue of David - it's more of a look at David and leave kind of place. (Go 1st thing in morning or last 1 1/2 hours of day to see David.)
(It's tough to narrow down the choices.)
Rome: St. Peter's Basilica, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Sopra Di Minerva
Florence: Duomo Complex (top choice), Santa Maria Novella Complex, Santa Croce Complex (my second choice) - off-the-beaten path gem - San Miniato
Venice: San Marco and Doge's palace complex with attached small prison.
(favorite off-beaten path gem - Frari Church.)

As an art lover, you can’t go wrong with any of the major museums. I had the pleasure of planning a trip for my family and friends (two of which are not art lovers at all and frankly, needed to drag them to museums). Here are the museums that my non-art loving friends really enjoyed. Other than the Doge’s palace (where they did not love the art, but loved the Secret Passage Tour of the Prison), we did not visit any museums in Venice.

Florence:

• The favorite musuem of my friends was the Duomo musuem. I have to say it was one of the best laid out museums I have ever been to with a variety of art, architecture, a great film of the Duomo history, and relics. We were there over 2 hours and no one was bored.
• Uffizi: this one had mixed reviews. Yes, it has some of the greatest art of the Renaissance, spectacular views of the Ponte de Vecho, and a great roof top cafe. But you really need a tour to bring it to life. I did not get a docent for this one, but used the RS audio guide and then I acted as a docent. I would recommend that you take the guided tour or download the RS guide. Also, the museum gets crowded, so if you can go in the morning, you will be less likely to feel overwhelmed by the crowds.
• Accademia: we literally just went and saw the David and left. My friends loved it, but did not want to take a look at another painting.

Rome:

• All of Rome is historical artifacts and great art, so as you walk around, visit churches, you will breathe in thousands of years of history and art.
• Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel: with 6 of us, we hired a private guide and it was worth it. We went in the mid-morning and the Vatican Museum was zoo. It was difficult to even see some of the art as there were so many people and if we had not had a guide, we would have missed some of the most of the notable art, including the recently restored maps in the map room. The Sistine Chapel was one of the highlights of my trip, but although my non-art loving friends loved the Sistine Chapel, they did not like the Vatican Musuem at all.
• Borghese Galleria: so imagine my thoughts of the next day when I was taking them at 8:00 a.m. to the Borghese. We took a guided docent tour. This was the favorite musuem of my friends. First it was Bernini, secondly the atmosphere (not crowded as this museum strictly limits attendance and time in the museum) and third it is situated in a lovely park.

Hope you enjoy your trip and get to experience some of the magnificent art and architecture of Italy.

Sandy

Hmmm, looks like you have at least 4-5 days in each city? Only one museum in each? Sure looks like you have time for more than that even if you're "not into" art or museums. That may be true but then, you've yet to feast eyes upon the art in Italy!

That said, I think I'd concentrate on what you can see for free or some of the smaller, less visited or less overwhelming ones. I'll skip Venice as it's been a little too long since I've been there to be helpful but some suggestions for Florence and Rome:

In some ways - much of Italy is a living "museum" in and of itself.
You may think of some of the churches as museums because of the art,
history, and architecture. You may prefer visiting churches....

Exactly. Many churches in Florence and Rome are gold mines of art and architecture and most of them are free to visit. They're no-risk choices for the visitor who doesn't THINK they care for art yet has never seen any still in place where it was dabbled many centuries ago: that's a different animal!

Florence:
Museum of San Marco: a double whammy of art and architecture. It does have an entry fee but it well worth the euros:
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/san-marco.html

Just 'round the corner from San Marco is Piazza Santissima Annunziata: go for the architecture but don't miss the frescoes in the entry cloister at the church of the same name on that piazza. Free:
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-monuments/piazza-ss-annunziata.html
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-churches/santissima-annunziata.html

The Bargello: another whammy of art and architecture and another worthwhile entry fee:
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/bargello.html

The Baptistry at the Duomo: yep, more art and architecture and another entry fee (actually part of the ticket to the full duomo complex) but the mosaics are just nuts.
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-churches/baptistery.html

Santa Trinita: make a beeline to the Sassetti Chapel. The Florentines in the frescoes were painted from life so that's how they really looked and dressed in the 16th century. Free.
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-churches/santa-trinita.html

San Miniato: really old and interesting, and the view of Florence from its perch above the city is wonderful (and from Piazzale Michelangelo just below it as well.) If you like music, the services in Gregorian chant are lovely. Free.
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-churches/san-miniato.html

I'd take a gander at Santa Croce as well (entry fee):
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-churches/santa-croce.html

What I'd skip? Both the Uffizi and Accademia. I'm an art lover so those were no-misses for me but you might enjoy some of the churches and museums listed above more.

Rome:
Skip the Vatican Museums and make a reservation (mandatory) for Galleria Borghese. Great crowd control; excellent collection (the Bernini sculptures are killer); interesting structure. Pay attention the trompe l'oeil embellishments throughout. Click on "Piano Terre" or "Primo Piano" to pull up floorplans of these two levels + descriptions of the individual rooms to see if it appeals:

http://galleriaborghese.beniculturali.it/en/rooms

Churches (just a few of too many!!!):
Pantheon (may have a small entry fee when you go but maybe not). A MUST for the architecture

San Clemente: there's a pre-Christian mithraeum in the basement (fee for that part):
http://www.basilicasanclemente.com/eng/

San Giovanni in Laterano: cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome (that would be the Pope).
http://www.turismoroma.it/cosa-fare/basilica-di-san-giovanni-in-laterano?lang=en

Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo: art and architecture

Santa Sabina: very old and interesting

Santa Maria Maggiore
http://www.turismoroma.it/cosa-fare/basilica-di-santa-maria-maggiore?lang=en

Thank you for the excellent detailed recommendations. I definitely can’t wait to go there & explore all these wonderful places.

Here's how I like to tackle Rome. Get a Streetwise map of Rome. Many sights are more or less clustered together. So, visit the thing you most want to see first. Then, give yourself some time and "wiggle" room to visit things that are close by. For example: Sopra Di Minerva, facchino statue, Pantheon, San Crispino gelato, San Luigi Church, Piazza Navona, St. Ignatius, Santa Agnese, small Pasquino sculpture, and Cul-du-Sac restaurant are very close to one another.
I'm not going to list all the other Rome "clusters." Too exhausting.
Rome is a great place to let loose and explore. Feel free to open a church door, go inside, and find any travel gems inside.

I love museums but there is plenty to see without going into even one. Think about what kind of art you like - classical sculpture? Renaissance painting? Choose accordingly. Or just wander. Peek into every church you pass - only a few charge admission and every one is a museum.

I was not very impressed with the Accademia in Venice but I loved the Uffizi collections and I enjoyed the Titians at the Frari Church. I really like sculpture a lot, so I liked the Correr Museum in Venice. If you like modern art, the Peggy Guggenheim may be more to your liking. The Doge's Palace and St Mark's Basilica are worthwhile for the architecture as much as the art work.

In Florence, you can enjoy a lot of sculpture outside in the Piazza della Signoria. There are wonderful frescoes in the old churches.

I am so glad that you will include a visit L’Accademia to see “David” in person. “David” took our breath away. A few years later we took our family there, including grandkids, and they all had the same reaction!

One of the reasons many people don't like museums is that they are exhausting to visit. The visual input is frequently too much of a good thing.

I can highly recommend Rick's Europe 101: History & Art for the Traveler. Click the blue link and be sure to watch the video describing the book. I found it very useful for the blanks in my own art and history knowledge.

Also, you can learn a lot by going to the parts on Rome, Venice and Florence found in Explore Europe Italy. "At a Glance" is a ranked list of the most important things to see and "Watch" takes you to videos about the cities.

People have given you lots of good selections. My advice wherever you go is to either take a tour with a person, use an audio tour or use the free RS audio tours. The advantage of the tour guide is that you can ask questions. The advantage of the other two is that you can stop and spend more time at some pieces and skip others.

Personally, if I'm not with a live tour guide, I pause near the opening to a gallery, take a deep breath and scan the gallery to see what I'd like to get closer to and learn more about. Then I make my way to the pieces of greatest interest to me.

Now to your specific question.

Rome. I can't imagine going to Rome for the first time and not seeing the Sistine Chapel. But you must go very early.

I did a Dark Rome tour in 2017. It was this one which gets you in 30 minutes earlier than any other tour and 1.5 hours earlier than the general public. If you want to go to the Vatican Museums, this other First Entry tour would be a good option. I've been to the Sistine and the museums after the general public is allowed in and it is not a pleasant experience. If you can't get in when it's less crowded, my advice is to not go.

I'm another fan of the Basilica of San Clemente. The Byzantine mosaics are awe-inspiring and going down to see the religious past of this church is fascinating.

Venice. I'm not a fan of palaces, so I try to avoid them.
St. Mark's is astonishing and a must-see for me. There is a museum which includes the original horses.

Being a 20th+ century art fan, I chose the Peggy Guggenheim over the Accademia. They are both accessible from the same vaporetto stop. That this was her house and that she lived with these amazing pieces is as interesting to me as the art itself. It's not a palace.

Florence. It's the Uffizi, hands down. It's big. It can be overwhelming. Don't feel like you have to see everything. Use the pause, breathe, scan and choose method of seeing things and take a break or two at the cafè.

My favorite church is Santa Croce. It is from the 13th century. Michelangelo's tomb is there, as are Machiavelli's and Galileo's. I'm more impressed by the worn tombs on the floor. For some reason I just feel good there.

Thank you all.