Most of the big tourist sites in Florence work on a reservation system now, including museums, so it’s important to figure out those time slots first and then plan the rest of the day around them. Unfortunately since our days in Florence were Sunday-Monday-Tuesday, and most key museums are closed on Monday, we ended up scheduling both the Galleria dell’Academia and Uffizi Gallery for Tuesday. We chose to do Galleria dell’Academia first thing in the morning and Uffizi at a late afternoon slot to give lots of time between them.
When we arrived at the Galleria dell’Academia a little before 8, a line was already forming. Since the museum staff hadn’t set out the guide lanes yet, it was basically just a mass of confused people trying to figure out where to go. Once they arrived, the museum staff did a very efficient job of moving people around and getting the lanes set up. Somehow we ended up only 6 or so people back in the lane for reserved tickets – it turns out most of the other people who arrived early were hoping to buy tickets on the day-of (not recommended since the quantity is limited and wait times get long).
Once the museum opened, we went through the standard procedure of ticket check, back scan, ticket check, and then we were through. Following advice we’d seen online, we went straight to Michaelangelo’s Statue of David without pausing at the other galleries. The strategy paid off. We had a good five minutes to admire the statue and take photos with only a handful of other people around.
As the tour groups started to file in, we went back to the beginning of the museum. Following a somewhat inconspicuous sign down a hallway away from the main galleries, we found an exhibit of Renaissance instruments that was really interesting. The collection belonging to the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory had about 50 instruments, including several Stradivarius violins, cellos, and a viola. There was also a room of piano ancestors and variations in shapes and sizes I had never seen before.
After the Galleria dell’Academia, we planned to go to a Leonardo Davinchi Interactive museum we had seen on Google Maps. However, it turned out that the tickets were timed entry and the earliest available slot was 5:30pm. Since that wasn’t feasible for us, we left and took another look at the map for an alternative. Mervin noticed that there was a second Leonardo Davinchi museum just around the corner. It was a bit hidden away in an alley and we had no problem getting tickets. It was very hands-on in a wood block try-it-yourself kind of way for kids, and while I’m sure it was nowhere near as fancy as the “interactive” museum we had a lot of fun learning about the various inventions.
After we finished with the museum, we started to wander back toward the Air BnB for a break. We crossed the Ponte alla Carrara bridge and took a break in Piazza del Carmine. Away from the majority of the tourists, we watched people walking their dogs and friends meeting up before lunch. Just as we were starting to look at options for our own lunch, it started to rain. We picked a pizza place close by and hurried over. We made it just in time before the rain really started coming down.
It was dry again by the time we headed down to the Uffizi art gallery for our 4pm entry slot. We crossed Ponte Vecchio again since that was the shortest route, and what a difference! All the shops were open and foot traffic was a shuffle as we worked our way through the tourists. The road and walkway along the river toward the Uffizi were crowded with people and the occasional car trying to make its way through.
Arriving in the Uffizi courtyard, we found the line for entry stretching the entire length of the building. As usual, it was impossible to tell which part of the line was for which time slot or even if there was one or multiple lines. We simply joined one and hoped for the best. We were 15 minutes early for our appointment, and we reached the start of the official queue just a couple minutes after 4pm. The staff person at the start of the queue abruptly told everyone with 4pm tickets to line up against the wall, and there was a bit of a scramble as everyone adjusted their position. Finally we could see the signs marking the 3:45 and 4pm entry lines – there was no reasonable way to have figured out which line was correct earlier. In the end it all worked out, we made it through security and ticket check without any further problems.
The inside of the museum was very crowded and confusing. I had downloaded an unofficial guided tour, but the order of the rooms had been changed and I was never able to properly align it. An official audio guide would probably have been the better choice for this museum. The gallery is arranged with a long corridor and the art is in rooms off to the side. While they have done the best they can given the buildings layout, it was harder than the Vatican museum to navigate and felt more crowded. At one point halfway through the first floor I lost Mervin completely. Phone connection was terrible inside the building, so our messages and calls weren’t even connecting. Thankfully I finally found him again at the end of the first floor!
For the most part we were able to see the main pieces we wanted to see. The chronological order of the art to show the evolution over time was interesting, but after the Vatican museum and several days of church visits it all started to blur together. I did really enjoy the gallery of artists self portraits. And even as I was feeling exhausted toward the end, the Caravaggio galleries and especially the paintings by Gherado delle Notti stopped me in my tracks to admire the incredible understanding of light sources, shadows, and the lively detail of each scene.
At the conclusion of our three-museum day, we were drained and somehow our feet ached more than when we walked 8 miles the previous day. I think that doing the Uffizi on a separate day to get the early morning tickets would have been a better choice. On the plus side, after climbing up the hill to our Air BnB so many times we feel ready for the steep hills of Cinque Terre!