Second thoughts about Florence...

You know...I thought I wasn't that much into art either when we first went to Florence. But I think it's more the 'art vibe' that is really interesting, so I wouldn't change anything. It's a wonderful place, really.

A word of advice--mid-July will be hot and crowded, and if you're fighting the tourist crowds during the heat of the day, you might not enjoy Florence all that much. Walk early in the morning or later in the evening. Daytrip (like you're doing to Siena) to Fiesole or even out into the Tuscan countryside on a private tour.

Hope your AirBnB is air conditioned!

I tend to move pretty fast, so take my comments with a grain of salt. That said, you could probably trim a day here and there if you wanted to. You have two full days in Venice, right?

Side trip to Padua?

How about some countryside time, somewhere that is, at least, a smaller town? You could go to Assisi, for example, in Umbria and manage without a car (we did). You can visit Spello, Perugia, Spoleto, and other towns from Assisi. It will be crowded, though.

If you are willing to rent a car, I found Montalcino in Tuscany was actually rather peaceful in early July. Try an agriturismo with a swimming pool and explore this lovely area of Tuscany.

Or head to the Val Gardena and get a taste of the mountains and some cooler air. We always do this sans automobile.

I guess we will see main attractions in less than one day

Uh no. Give Florence a chance. I think you'll find there's lots to do beyond the museums. You have a wonderful opportunity to spend at least a good chunk of the day getting off the tourist treadmill. Make it a "free day", wake up with nothing planned and see where the day leads you.

I think you'll find 2 1/2 days in Florence will fly by. If you feel you must do something else, look into taking a tour from Florence to a food and wine tasting at a winery in Chianti. If you are adventurous and self sufficient, you could take the bus from Florence to Greve, a charming town 20km south of Florence.

I was there for 2 ½ days and it felt perfect. I 'only' went to the Academia (and even if you are not 'into art', seeing David for real is incomparable), and the Uffizi, which was interesting but not my favorite. We also did the Dome climb and Duomo museum - which was much more interesting than expected because of the artifacts - John the Baptists tooth! - and the cathedral. The Dome climb, well, you must (or the Bell tower). The Mercado is a lively and yummy place to walk to and eat at (ugh, dangling prepositions). We also walked around Boboli gardens, and the bridges and rive, of course. With the heat and all the walking, and breaks, 2 ½ days were filled but not rushed and I didnt feel like we overdid the art. I really loved the feel of Florence - just walking around. You could always do one of those nights in Sienna or environs, or spend one day in Sienna, and one in Lucca and 2 in Florence, using Florence as a base...

I think that Firenze warrants the time but if you feel it doesn’t, stop for an overnight in Orvieto on your way north or day trip to Pisa and Lucca from Firenze.

I don’t think 2.5 days in Florence are too much, there is a lot to see and do which doesn’t involve museums or churches at all. In any case you can use Florence as a base to visit nearby places. Chianti Hills, San Gimignano, are both easy trips. Fiesole, up the hill, is only minutes away. If you want other cities besides Siena, you can see Arezzo, Pistoia, Lucca, even Bologna. If you want a day at the beach, I’d go to Castiglioncello.

Have you watched Rick Steves' 3 you tube videos about art? Puts everything into historical perspective. I used to think I don't care about art and I am certainly not planning any trips to my local art museums. But Italy's art is something different, at least it is if you have any interest in history.
For me, if I did not have any interest in seeing the art, I don't think I would go to Florence in July and fight all of the crowds and heat.
If you are going to Itally for medieval architecture and food, there has to be better places to go. But give the videos a look-see, you might change your mind.

My wife and I are like you, not huge art lovers. We are flying to Italy with arrival on 6/30 and will be basing in Florence for 6 nights before moving on to Rome. But if you think of it as a home base, I think you will get more out of it. We have a driver taking us for a day to Cinque Terre (I know, it's a bit of a drive, but we don't know when we would be back to go there). We have a day planned to visit Siena and some of the hillside towns. We might go for a day trip to Lucca and bike there. As of now, we only have plans to visit the Accademia and the Duomo. I think it's in how you look at using your time, rather than thinking about it as art or nothing.

My wife and I are like you, not huge art lovers.

This and similar comments got me scratching my head. Then I realized that since I have a B.F.A. from a design (art) school, I may have a slightly different perspective! :D

There's nothing illegal, immoral or fattening about not being into art. Florence is a great base for trips into Tuscany and Chianti as well. In addition to great art, Florence has great food and wine.

In 2014 we loved our Chianti wine tour with Tuscan Trails. The most recent reviews on TripAdvisor are consistent with our experience.

http://www.tuscantrails.com/index.html

Lucca and Pisa could fill a day

Lucca and Pisa could fill a day

Agree with this. There are so many day trips into Tuscany you can do from Florence-I'd stay with your original plans.
We had 3 days in Florence and it was great, but we did want to see art, and the Accademia (David) and Uffizi (Botticellis) are both wonderful. We did the Duomo museum/climb, which is very cool, and did a lot of walking and wandering. We also did a day trip to Pisa/San Gimignano/Siena that was fun.

I would certainly not criticize somebody for NOT having an interest in something. My question is why put up with the negatives of Florence in July if you aren't going to be spending time in Florence? Instead of taking day trips in and out of a congested city, why not stay at the smaller, less congested places you want to see? I don't know for certain because I haven't been there yet. But, I would think that the major draw of Florence over other places is the art. The duomo counts but wouldn't take up 3 nights.
Anyways, bucephale, whatever you decide I hope you have a great trip!

I went to Florence 4 or 5 times before I got round to going into the Uffizi and other places filled with art.
There is much to see and do there, and you really will like it, I promise!

Thanks to all for all those answers, advices and ideas.

I feel the need to clarify my initial message (that was quickly wrtitten on my cell phone !).

You must have notice that english is not my first language (french is), so sometimes I dont have the good words to express myself.

When I say that we are not that much into art, waht I meant is that we wont do a trip only for that purpose. For us traveling is a package deal combining, culture, food, beer, wine, architecture, history and, yes, art.

We feel we still have to go to Fl;orence because of the importance of the place in history. I'm a bit shy to say that now, i'm an history teacher. so history is something that can drags me somewhere. I've never taken the time to learn deeply art, I know the movements, classic artists an major artwork (David was , of course, on our list! ).

So for now I think we will keep our 4 nighjts in florence and just see what we will do once there. Go with the flow...

Oh and by the way we already have a stop in Padua plan between Florence and Venice, a friend of my wife lives there and we will go see them for 4-5 hours before heading to Venice for dinner time.

Bucephale, only a lover of history could have chosen the same nickname as Alexander the Great’s horse.

Anyhow, I like history much more than I like art, and to me going to Florence museums and churches, since I was a child, was more to have a glimpse at Renaissance life scenes in those paintings, than the art itself, which I am not an expert of.

Do some research on life in the Middle Ages and Renaissance before you go, and your stay, throughout Italy, will mean much more.

I don’t spend a lot of time in museums. I’m the type that goes to the Louvre and asks the taxi driver to wait for me outside with the engine on. But there will be many more things to do, including visiting the various gardens, which in summer will provide some relief from the heat.

You might want to check what festivals are occurring in towns within an hour’s train ride from Florence, also. We’ve really enjoyed each one that we’ve been able to attend.

bucephale, I also am not that interested in art - 5 minutes with David was enough. I appreciate it, and want to see the great works, but more interested in other things. But thats what I loved about Florence. Its more than the art, its a great place to just be in, and enjoy the contemporary life in a beautiful city with such ancient roots.

AND, don't forget to go to the Ferragamo museum! It's a fun place to visit. I did the "art thing" years ago....
Now, I just go (for the past 6 years) for the fun of it, taking day trips, shopping, eating and visiting the different areas of the city.
My 10 day trip is planned for the first week in September, when I take the 40 minute train ride to the hilly city of Arezzo for their HUGE monthly markets, on the first weekend of the month, with over 1000 vendors. It's held in a park overlooking beautiful scenery. I buy very little but enjoy the vast array of trinkets, antiques, and furniture. It's FABULOUS!!!

I have three suggestions.

First - as others have said, it will be crowded. I HATED my first trip to Florence, because there were so many people there. Other people told us how much they LOVED Florence, but they also clarified that their love came after spending the night - once the tourists were gone. So just tour early, tour late, but know ahead of time that it will be crowded.

Second - consider an audio tour at the very least if you go to the Uffizi. Italian art was often political, so there is a history connection! But I would have missed some of the best parts without someone telling me WHY a picture or statute was so important.

Third - give yourself at least one afternoon to just get lost and wander. This was the one part of my first visit to Florence that I adored above everything else.

I hope you have a wonderful time! (And your English is WAY better than my skill in any language I have tried to study!!)

I wasn't keen on sculpture and then I went to the Rodin Museum in Paris. Then I was keen on Rodin and his contemporaries. Then I went to Italy and discovered Renaissance sculpture - wow - and in Rome you can see a lot of the Roman and even some Greek works that inspired Michelangelo. If it grabs you, add a visit to the Bargello and the Duomo museum, and a walk around the Piazza della Signoria. If not, take the bus up to Fiesole and explore the little town and enjoy the views of Florence from above.

There are several non-art museums in Florence. You may enjoy the Palazzo Davanzati, a 14th century building with an interior courtyard, medieval and Renaissance furniture, painted "wallpaper," kitchen tools such as a mechanical dough-kneader, indoor toilets, ceramics, and many other domestic objects.

I will come with agreement in both camps. If you are certain you won't enjoy it, definitely cut your trip short and go somewhere else you think you will like more. But also, if its easier, I would say to stay in Florence and do the day trips. Last time I went, we had from Saturday night to Wednesday morning. We did the main stuff in Florence on a full day tour with Walks of Italy I believe, and then we went to the Pitti Palace another day, and jut soaked in the city part of that day too. We purposefully booked that many nights in Florence because we wanted to do a day trip to Lucca. That was great! So yes, you can move locations to a place you think you would like more, but if Florence is central enough to various locations you have been pondering, might as well keep it as its super easy and probably less crowded at night when you can wander around the city.