What to cut in Florence?

From a time standpoint, I would suggest eliminating the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens behind it. Its beyond the Ponte Vecchio bridge by about 1/2 mile. The only way to get there is to walk it. The Ponte Vecchio is worth a walk across however (great gelato places at the other end). The science museum is really close to the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio.

Ciao, Laura. Would NOT cut Santa Croce or Santa Maria Novella. I guess if it was me--I really love art and architecture--I'd cut the science museum. As for the Medici Chapels, it's certainly worth a visit, but not at all in the category of the Firenze biggies: the Accademia, the Ufizzi, Piazzelle Michelangelo, Piazza Signoria, Brunelleschi's Dome and the museum of Santa Maria del Fiore, Ponte Vecchio, and exploring the neighborhood on the other side of the river. This, plus time for dining and gelato (definitely eat at Trattoria Gobbi 13 for dinner and the Bar San Michele for lunch)...you'll love it!

NOTE: Larry's excellent post (as usual) makes me realize this really depends on your preferences: we like longer walks and exploring, and prefer the art and architecture and gardens to the science stuff. However, weather will make a difference, too. Depending on how hot it will be--and it will be HOT--you may be more ready for a cool museum than a gritty urban stroll and an outdoor garden.

I agree with both Gio and Larry (above). Cut the Science Museum first. If you still have to cut something, cut the Pitti Palace. We're not saying the Science Museum and Pitti Palace are not worth seeing. But your specifically asks us to take the 5 you've listed and give our recommendation of which 2 of the 5 to eliminate, if you had to eliminate any.I agree with Gio about not cutting any of the first three you listed.

Laura, what you didn't explain is what you intend to see. I'm intrigued. I really like Gio's list. One thing that we found disappointing is the inside of il Duomo. The inside of the dome is beautiful but there's really not much else. What we found much more interesting was the Duomo museum across the street in the left rear of il Duomo. It houses the treasures of the Duomo over the centuries and much more. Most of Brunelleschi's Duomo design work is in there as well including his working models of the domel Its a newer museum and quite beautiful.

I agree with Kent. On your list, the first thing I would see is Santa Croce - just my two cents worth!

Barb

Larry- We were planning on following Rick's itinerary as follows...

Florence in Three (or More) Days

Day 1

8:30 Accademia (David); reserve in advance.

10:00 Museum of San Marco (Fra Angelico).

12:00 Markets, shop, wander.

13:00 Lunch.

14:00 Medici Chapels (Michelangelo).

15:00 Church of Santa Maria Novella and old perfumery.

16:30 Baptistery (closes at 14:00 on Sun).

17:00 Climb Giotto's Tower.

18:00 Renaissance Walk through heart of old town.

20:00 Dinner on or near Piazza della Signoria.

Day 2

9:00 Bargello (top statues).

11:00 Science Museum.

13:00 Lunch, free to wander and shop.

16:30 Uffizi Gallery (unforgettable paintings); reserve a month in advance (through your hotel, by phone, or online).

19:00 Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo (consider a dinner picnic).

Day 3

10:00 Duomo Museum.

12:00 Santa Croce Church (opens at 13:00 on Sun).

14:00 Lunch.

15:00 Pitti Palace, Boboli and Bardini Gardens.

18:00 Oltrarno Walk.

20:00 Dinner in Oltrarno.

I figured we'd need to cut one or two items to work within our time frame. The places I put on the list above were ones that we were not deadset on visiting.

Way to go. That's a great walking tour.

Hi Laura,

I think if you follow Rick Steves suggested sights you'll be fine. We were just in Florence and skipped the Science Museum and never once regretted it. There is so much to see there you have to focus on what you would enjoy most.

One suggestion that won't take a lot of time that you have to stop at is Grom for Gelato. It's near the Duomo (it's also listed in RS Italy book). It is honestly the best Gelato we had in all of Italy. We went every night.

Have a great trip!

Medici Chapels: I was there two weeks ago and everything was 50% covered in scaffolding.

Anybody been there in the last couple of days and can confirm the scaffolding is still up?

Laura, I'd hang onto the Boboli Gardens. It's stiff uphill walking but nothing like a garden to restore the soul. Also suggest that if you are going to Piazzelle Michelangelo (frankly, not on my long list of special places), walk the little extra to the church of San Miniato. Gorgous church, great views and at about 5:00pm you can listen to the monks singing their evening service. It is quite special.

..ps It fascinates me that having a gelato is so high on the list of things to do when in Italy.

I think your itinerary is very workable. I don't think you are really rushing.

If you need extra time, I would cut the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. If I needed more time, the Medici Chapels.

The Science Museum would probably be a good visit for kids but wouldn't be at the top of the list. I think they are doing something special to celebrate Galileo now, but I haven't paid close attention.

I would cut the science museum. I loved the Pitti Palace and the Gardens were wonderful. We were there for a week in December and the Gardens were beautiful. Enjoy your trip. Whatever you decide I am sure you will enjoy it.

There is some small irony of people using modern computers today to post messages dismissing the Florence Science Museum.

There are several versions of the Pascal Calculator on display, this being the basis of the Babbage Analytical Engine, which was later translated to a theoretical logic machine by Turing which became the basis of all modern computers.

To nerds across the world, the Science Museum is something of a pilgrimage.

I agree that if you're going to Piazelle Michelangelo that you should definitely go the extra couple of blocks to San Mineato. At 5:30 the monks chant their evening prayer and Mass. There are regular seats on the floor and sort of stone steps where people sit kind of like bleachers. You can sit on these steps for a while and listen to the chant so you can leave early and not disrupt Mass. The decision of which place to cut is very personal. I'm an artist, so the idea of cutting any museum time is blasphemy to me (lol) but for the more "outdoorsy" type person the Boboli Gardens would be heavenly. If you walk up to Piazelle Michelangelo there is a lovely rose garden and iris garden that was delightful (though the iris's are probably done by now). The Mercado Centrale is fun but so was the lesser known and more "local" Ambrogio market. Check at the tourist office for various free concerts in the evening and other entertainments. On our most recent trip three weeks ago we added a Market tour and cooking class through In Tavola that was one of the highlights of the trip. Our guide met us at the market and gave us a tour along with the history of Tuscan cooking. We chatted with merchants as we shopped for the 4 course lunch that we prepared back at the cooking school.

Laura-

I agree with the others in that the Science Museum would be the first thing I would skip. I studied abroad in Florence for three months and never saw it. I loved The Medici Chapel and went multiple times. If it's not being restored I would definitely see it. The Pitti Palace does have a lot of art (The Palatine Gallery), but they also had a costume gallery that I heard great things about. I am not sure if it is still there though. Santa Croce Church was neat but I could not see any of the altar because it was being restored- I was dissapointed. Santa Maria Novella is very neat- I especially enjoyed the Strozzi Chapel where Michelangelo was an apprentice- so you could see some of his early work! I also agree with Marla in that you need to go to Grom... it really is the best- believe me! If you're facing the Campanile tower in Piazza del duomo- go down the small alley to your right and it's on the corner! So, I'd cut the science museum and Santa Croce. Have a great trip!!

The Medici Chapels are still under pretty heavy construction I think - which detracts a lot from the visit. The Science Museum is an obvious one to skip as others have pointed out. Of the two churches I personally wouldn't miss Santa Croce, plus it sounds like the only thing that brings you over to this side of town -

To bad the Science Museum will be under renovation till January 2010. If it wasn't I'd be advocating it still.

I think no trip to Florence would be complete unless you saw the Armillary Spheres. In these you can see a microcosm, pun intended, of the clash of ideas fought out during the Renaissance. The Ptolemaic Armillaries are amusing to the modern mind if you consider the extraordinary effort put in to them so that they would match celestial observations and still conform to church doctrine: Not quite right, "Build it bigger!" Still not right, "Guild it in gold leaf!" You can feel the desperation to prove a Geocentric System.
Having Galileo's Middle Finger on display, is somewhat poetic.

Just wanted to recognize Francis' point (the irony in using technology to dismiss the importance of visiting the Florence science museum). I'm an art/literature/history guy, but I think even RS, in his books and shows, downplays the historical reality that the greatest architects and artists of the Italian Renaissance studied intently and relied heavily on science (i.e., Michelangelo's work with cadavers to master the human form, Brunelleschi's scientific/technological inventions that made the actual construction of the dome possible). In that age, they did not separate disciplines in the same way we do. They were artists AND scientists at the same time. Next time we're in Florence, I promise to visit the science museum. It's a very fair point!

It totally depend on what you are interested. I would cut out either Pitti Palace or the Science museum. We saw both on our trip two weeks ago. I love art but my boyfriend loves science, so each of us would disagree with what to cut out, we are also 20 somethings. The science museum is being renovated and two floors are blocked off.

The Pitti Palace is trying to squeeze every last dollar out of tourists right now. The art gallery and fancy apartments are seperated into one ticket for 12 euros and the costume museum and Boboli gardens into another ticket for 12 euros also. So if you want to see all of it, be prepared to spend the money.

On second thought, I'd agree with my guy and cut Pitti Palace :) You will already be seeing the best stuff in the Accademia, Bargello, and Uffizi.

We were in Florence 2 weeks ago and really enjoyed the bus ride up to Fiesole--wonderful views there. I would not go out of my way to see Pitti Palace.