Post by suz123nj on Oct 1, 2016 0:57:53 GMT
We spent a week in Florence after a week in southern Tuscany and I thought I would share my experiences. I will take time to discuss our first week in Southern Tuscany separately .
We took time in Florence this month in the hope that the crowds would be smaller but mid September was still very busy. I have never seen as many people at the major sights in all my other visits to this beautiful city. I did have a bucket list of places I wanted to share with my husband, so to avoid the discussion should we or shouldn't we go into a sight,
I bought the Firenze pass that allowed us to visit 72 sights in 72 hours. It was expensive but we had 3 days to use it. I am not sure if you have been in this position with a spouse but an argument kind of ruins the mood.
That being said there were places we chose not to visit because even with the no line entry the crowds were enormous. Overall I liked the Firenze Card especially since it gave us access to museums that many don't even know about. Access to the major sights make it easier but take the time to visit smaller ones too. We loved the Museo di Palazzo Davanzati the oldest private residence from the 13th century and also Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure which is a collection of precious stones carved and inlayed in table tops, painting, altars in church ...amazing. Using the card's list of museums we created walks that allowed us to wander Florence's streets making out day a relaxed adventure.
The crowds and heat were the problems. We left the Uffizi because of the heat and the crowds. I felt badly for those who were there for the first time. We didn't go into the Accademia ; crowds were awful and we knew what to expect after the Uffizi. My biggest disappointment was that the heat actually prevented us from going to the Vasari Corridor as it was still closed from this July.
A little thing we found helpful. We usually pick up wine, soda, crackers, cheese etc for snacks we eat back in our hotel room. We found a good Mini supermarket just over the Ponte Vecchio. Take the first left over the bridge and about 20 feet on the left is a small market. Gather you goods and work your way down the aisles always turn left to the check out. It was a great find.
I'll add more about tours we took restaurants we found another time.
We took time in Florence this month in the hope that the crowds would be smaller but mid September was still very busy. I have never seen as many people at the major sights in all my other visits to this beautiful city. I did have a bucket list of places I wanted to share with my husband, so to avoid the discussion should we or shouldn't we go into a sight,
I bought the Firenze pass that allowed us to visit 72 sights in 72 hours. It was expensive but we had 3 days to use it. I am not sure if you have been in this position with a spouse but an argument kind of ruins the mood.
That being said there were places we chose not to visit because even with the no line entry the crowds were enormous. Overall I liked the Firenze Card especially since it gave us access to museums that many don't even know about. Access to the major sights make it easier but take the time to visit smaller ones too. We loved the Museo di Palazzo Davanzati the oldest private residence from the 13th century and also Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure which is a collection of precious stones carved and inlayed in table tops, painting, altars in church ...amazing. Using the card's list of museums we created walks that allowed us to wander Florence's streets making out day a relaxed adventure.
The crowds and heat were the problems. We left the Uffizi because of the heat and the crowds. I felt badly for those who were there for the first time. We didn't go into the Accademia ; crowds were awful and we knew what to expect after the Uffizi. My biggest disappointment was that the heat actually prevented us from going to the Vasari Corridor as it was still closed from this July.
A little thing we found helpful. We usually pick up wine, soda, crackers, cheese etc for snacks we eat back in our hotel room. We found a good Mini supermarket just over the Ponte Vecchio. Take the first left over the bridge and about 20 feet on the left is a small market. Gather you goods and work your way down the aisles always turn left to the check out. It was a great find.
I'll add more about tours we took restaurants we found another time.