You cannot visit Florence without visiting Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David…read more Though I had a tour guide, I felt like the pace was too slow. It's a great museum, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather beat the crowds to see David, and then take my time strolling through all the other works of art. Seeing 17' of David in person is unreal-- a human made this out of rejected marble. The magnitude of David's height and attention to detail is incredible and the lighting under a skylight highlights every vein and definition of muscle even more so. If you're looking for a deep dive art history lesson, I'd recommend using AI. Note: try to book skip-the-line tickets in advance. If you're unable to, you can try to book through a third party booking system such as Viator, but you'll be paying more.

Over a million people visit the Galleria dell'Accademia every year, and they all go to see one…read morething: Michelangelo's David, arguably the most famous statue in the world. The David was sculpted between 1501 and 1504, then unveiled in the public square in front of the Palazzo della Signoria, where it stood for almost 400 years. It was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia in 1873, and has been the museum's lifeblood ever since. €20 a ticket and more for merch, plus lawsuits for unauthorized use of the David. Pretty, pretty, pretty good. We only had about two days in Florence, one of them set aside for a Tuscan wine tour, but we weren't leaving without seeing the David. Our concierge booked us same-day tickets when we checked into our hotel, and we went at the appointed entry time, at 5:00. The museum was plenty busy, even on a Tuesday during low season, but I believe we visited under ideal conditions. We entered the museum and bam, there was the David, standing majestically in the heart of the Accademia. He was in his own domed alcove lined on one side with bench seating, where people could sit and look up at his giant marble ass. Like everyone else, I'd seen images of the David all throughout my life. But seeing it in person was a revelatory experience. I know size isn't everything, but when it comes to iconic statues chiseled from single blocks of marble, size certainly matters. The David is 17 feet tall and completely breathtaking. A beautiful colossus, every inch of his famously nude body sculpted in wondrous detail. We took advantage of the thin crowd and spent quite some time circling the statue, while also reading about it on Wikipedia from the comfort of the benches. An extraordinary, educational pleasure. The rest of the museum was nice, too, if entirely secondary to the David. There were several other statues and old religious paintings, as well as the Hall of the Prisoners, featuring four unfinished Michelangelo sculptures. These cut a path to the David and were fascinating in their incompletion. Michelangelo apparently saw the work of a sculptor as freeing the forms lying inside each block of stone. This sounds like something an artist would tell a reporter, but looking at those unfinished sculptures, I could see the figures trying to make their way out. The Galleria dell'Accademia is small, and we were in and out in about 40 minutes. If you're a tourist in Florence and have €20 and 40 minutes, I can't imagine a better way to spend them than at David's enormous feet.

it was terrible. The staff is rude. I was treated with poor customer service. its over priced and…read moremuggy. it even smells like mildew by the wooden "coffee" section.

I love this place!!! Over my past semester studying abroad Todo Modo has been my go to study spot…read more It is the perfect place to go to do school work, read a book, or catch up with friends. You can order coffee, drinks, or snacks while studying for a good refreshment. It's also a really cute book store that sells both Italian and English books. The aesthetic is very calming and one of my favorite places in Florence! Definitely a must place to check out!

November 6, 2024 3:45-6:45PM…read more We initially didn't plan to visit but was told this is a must do in Florence. I'm glad we did. I love art museums and thought this was more religious artifacts but glad to see some of my new favorite paintings in person. Silly me! Upon entering the museum, there a lot of stairs to climb. Get your exercise in for sure! I did see a very tiny elevator a little bit hidden to the side, so they definitely can accommodate those needing accessibility but plan accordingly as the elevator was tiny, probably one stroller/wheelchair at a time. The Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring are both so amazing to see in person. The works of Caravaggio were very powerfully presented. The da Vinci, the Michelangelo, the Raphael... so many great artist and their works are housed here. Lots of Sweet Baby Jesus and the Madonna, various Adam and Eve paintings.. My favorite besides Botticelli's, was from Pietro Perugino's a Portrait of a young man.. the eyes, the emotions, almost the sadness... what a great painting. The various views from the Uffizi Galleries of Florence was also pretty amazing, from Ponte Vecchio, along the Arno River and the view of the city... so glad we went during sunset as I caught some pretty great shots with just my iPhone. I definitely think this is worth the stop and glad to have this as an impromptu visit. Got in pretty quickly without a reservation either, we were very lucky.

The Uffizi Gallery is an absolutely extraordinary museum. It's famous for good reason, the most…read morevisited art gallery in all of Italy, a country not lacking in priceless, important art. The place was built by the Medicis and houses much of the art they collected, all of it given to the city of Florence as the family died off. It's been open to select visitors since the 16th century and to the public since 1769, making it one of the world's first modern museums. We went with a small group tour (provided by Things To Do In, which dealt with the ticketing), and this was 100% worth the added expense. The Uffizi is huge and full of treasures, and our guide's expertise felt pretty essential. We met in the courtyard, which was bustling with tourists at 10AM on a cold, off-season Thursday. The courtyard is notable in its own right, beautiful and historic, with a view of the Arno River. Sculptures of famous artists fill the niches between the columns. Our meeting point was underneath Nicola Pisano. We made our way from there into the Uffizi's grand hallways, works of art in themselves, and lined with statuary. Our tour was an hour and a half long and took us through just a few highlights of the museum, which contains an astonishing collection of Italian Renaissance works. We admired a display of three Italian Madonnas, masterpieces of the 13th and 14th centuries by Cimabue, Duccio, and Giotto (our guide's mini lecture on the Giotto will stay with me for a long time). We saw Simone Martini's Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus, with its wtf-no-thank-you Virgin Mary, the Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano, embellished with gold and textiles. I'm ignorant and didn't know what we'd be seeing at the Uffizi and was genuinely surprised to walk into a room and see Botticelli's Primavera and The Birth of Venus. Incredible paintings, and a privilege to see in person. We hit the ninja turtles next: Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation and unfinished Adoration of the Magi; Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, his only surviving finished panel painting; and Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch. Our tour ended there, but we had much more to see, and our guide helpfully told us a few paintings to look out for. The Medici portraits by Agnolo Bronzino, especially the Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son Giovanni. Titian's Venus of Urbino, a historically significant nude. And three works by Caravaggio: Bacchus, Sacrifice of Isaac, and Medusa, all of them amazing. I also enjoyed the extensive gallery of self-portraits and the temporary exhibition on Florence and Europe in the 18th century. This included some great paintings and sculpture, but without a guide to put them in context, I have to admit the giant stone lion dick made the most lasting impression. We hit the gift shop on our way out, hoping to find a postcard of Florence we could send to our kids. Unfortunately for us, all the postcards were of the gallery's artworks, and we didn't think our three- and five-year-old would get much out of religious paintings or Medusa's decapitated head. I left the Uffizi with a new appreciation for Italian art, and honestly, a sharpened interest in art in general. This was an enriching visit, full of marvels, maybe the best thing we did on our trip to Florence.

This review is way overdue. We were here in September of 2019 …read more.. After seeing chef Fabio Picchi on Somebody feed Phil I made a mental note to check out his restaurants while in Italy. The first night my husband and I got to Florence we decided to try our luck and see if we can get in to Circo Lo Teatro del Sale for dinner. And sure enough we got in. I was so excited for this experience. The staff was very friendly and helpful. One of the hostesses went out of her way to find us a small table cause the place was so full and mostly communal tables. The food was delicious. Everything we ate was flavorful, perfectly cooked and seasoned. We really enjoyed our dinner, we even met the chef in person. Unfortunately last year he passed away and it was heartbreaking. I'm very thankful that I got to taste his amazing food at this place and also his other restaurant Cibreo. Both places were amazing.

Have to try it. They have so much things to try. All kinds of great food that you will only see…read morein Florence. The food was great. You have to become a member of the club, though. And pay attention to when the new dishes come out. They'll call it out and everyone rushes to the line to get it. It's a bit chaotic, but worth it (and there is plenty of food). It's about €32/per person +€7 membership fee. You get endless water, wine, and coffee.

This chapel is absolutely stunning. It was fun to see the influence of the Medici family in…read moreFlorence. The dome inside is so detailed and beautiful, I really appreciated the colors and architecture. The chapel is quite small but still worth the visit in my opinion. Admission isn't free, I think it's about 15€ (we bought at the door).

It's impossible to visit the city of Florence without learning the Medici family name and being…read moresurrounded by their influence, which is still visible within the city centuries after the family was run out of Florence and its last surviving members passed away. With that in mind, it's worth a visit to the Medici Chapels to visit the final resting place of several members of the most powerful families in historic Europe. It's not as large as some of the more famous churches in Europe, but that doesn't make it any less of a gem. Arrive early, because there was a line to get in when I visited (took about 30 minutes to get through) and a line to visit the portion of the chapel designed by Michelangelo. If you happen to be in town on the first Sunday of the month, this is included in the state-run museums you can visit. The historic artifacts, architecture, and priceless works of arts housed here (and yes, you'll see works from Michelangelo) make it well worth the visit.