Accademia Gallery - 8:15 AM, Tuesday September 29. Timed-entry tickets are booked for the first slot of the day. Confirm reservation reference at galleriaaccademiafirenze.it before departure. Save the reference to your phone now.
Via Ricasoli 60 - 4 minutes' walk from the flat. This is the first slot of the day: best light, thinnest crowds. Plan 90 minutes inside.
Both are easy from Accademia. Choose based on energy after the David.
Duomo exterior is free. Baptistery interior (mosaics, Ghiberti doors) worth 30 min. Via dei Calzaiuoli and Piazza della Repubblica run flat - good for afternoon window shopping and gelato.
Skip the dome climb today. 463 steps, stair-only, narrow spiral. Better panoramas are at Piazzale Michelangelo or the Campanile (414 steps with balcony breaks). The Opera del Duomo Museum is the strong recommendation instead - 3 floors with elevators, Donatello, Michelangelo's Pieta, and dramatically undervisited.
Via dei Girolami 28R - 18 min walk, just south of Ponte Vecchio near the Uffizi. 1200s-era cellar, traditional Tuscan menu, approx 35 seats, reservations essential. Good staging dinner before Wednesday's Uffizi visit - 2 min from the gallery. Open Tue-Thu 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM.
Alternative if preferring easy: Ristorante Accademia - 5 min from flat, open 7 PM-11 PM.
Practical Notes
- Accademia ticket: save reservation reference to phone before the trip - needed at entry
- Leave flat at 8:00 AM for the 8:15 slot - 4-minute walk, no buffer needed beyond that
- Combined Accademia + Bargello ticket EUR 26 / USD 30 (valid 48 hrs) - worth it if interested in the Bargello sculpture collection
- Mario and da Rocco are both cash only - keep small bills on hand