Should I forget about Florence?! (part 1)

This looks really rushed, and I don't know if you would enjoy being in either city. If you only have two days and a night, just do Rome, and spread out your time to breathe in the city and its history.

Rome: I don't see how you can get out to Ostia and back and do the rest starting at mid-afternoon. Even if you skip that jaunt, you might have to eat supper a bit later. Florence: Only if you have museum reservations at the times indicated. David: probably dwadles. Go for it - - assuming that you're going to magically poof yourself between the two cities, take a late train, etc.

Isaac, Tanner posted an additional two days in Rome, so it's three altogether. However, it's still a rush of a daytrip to Florence. Tanner, the Baptistery is definitely worth a visit. Amazing mosaics inside and it's never very crowded. The original bronze doors are still in the Museum of the Duomo, I think. Better restaurants can be found on the side streets near the Duomo - PM me if you want a recommendation. If you're going to the Accademia, be sure to go upstairs to the Pinacoteca for beautiful paintings. The Museum of San Marco is one of my favorites and is right up the street from the Accademia. The Medici-Riccardi Palace is on the way back to Piazza della Signoria, I think; so is the Bargello, so you might want to reroute your itinerary to be more efficient. Take a look at a Florence walking tour to see what makes the most sense in terms of planning your walk. Everything in Florence is very compact, but you don't have time to backtrack (only my opinion). If you're going through the Uffizi Courtyard and the Ponte Vecchio, you can have beautiful views of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo (take the bus or walk but it's a hike). If you're going through the Courtyard, why not go to the Museum at the same time (unless you're trying to avoid crowds by going later in the day). As for your timetable, it's optimistic to try to do the Accademia (even if you only see the David) and the Museum of San Marco by 9:30am. Unless you're seriously shopping, 2.5 hours for San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels seems like a lot of time. And you've allotted 7 hours to the Duomo complex, which also seems like a lot of time, even if you include the Museum (Museo dell'Opere del Duomo). 1.5 hours for the Bargello and lunch doesn't seem like quite enough time (only my opinion again).

i am usually a champion of aggressive itineraries but even yours made my head spin a bit. this part: 9.30 - Renaissance Walk through town center, climb the Campanile. (2 hr) Begin at... ? The Duomo – 10.00 – 17.00 – ? ?Campanile (Giotto's Tower) ? Medici-Riccardi Palace ? Via de' Calzaiuoli ? Orsanmichele Church ? Palazzo Vecchio ? Uffizi Courtyard ? Ponte Vecchio
12.00 - Bargello Museum if you finish the campanile at 11:30, thats a whole lotta stuff crammed into half an hour. if you do want to go to florence for a day, you have to accept that you can not see everything. its up to you if its worth it to leave there knowing you only got a teaser for all it has to offer.

I am sorry and this may sound rude BUT you have absolutely no concept of time, especially travel, or distances. For example, first thing on Tuesday - 2.30 Ostia A. From where you are staying it will take at least an hour via public transit to get there. It is half a day min. I suppose you could spend only an hour there. But then the question is, "Why bother to go?" The rest of your plan is similar. Hope you have a great bladder because water closet breaks and eating is not included.

I visited Ostia Antica a few years ago. There is quite a bit of walking, mostly on smooth surfaces. A cafe and toilets are located on the grounds. I think you need at least half a day for Ostia. One or two crowded days should take care of the rest. If you take a day trip to Florence, stick to the most important (to you) sites and plan a longer trip for another year.