Uffizi, David, and Piazzale Michelangelo
Book ahead. Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, da Vinci's Annunciation, Caravaggio's Medusa. The corridor overlooking the Arno is worth the visit alone.
Michelangelo's David — 17 feet of Carrara marble, carved from a block two other sculptors had given up on. He was 26 when he started it. Book timed entry.
463 steps to the top. No elevator. Narrow passages between the inner and outer shell — you walk inside the dome's structure. Views of all Florence from the lantern at the top. Stephanie will sprint. Ricki may pass.
414 steps. Slightly easier than the dome and better views (because you can see the dome from here). Alternative for those who want height without the dome's tight spaces.
Outdoor market surrounding the Basilica di San Lorenzo. Leather goods, souvenirs, scarves. Prices are negotiable. Emily will want everything.
THE sunset spot. Panoramic view of the entire city — the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, the Arno, the Tuscan hills behind. Bring a bottle of wine. 20-minute uphill walk from the river, or take bus 12.
Full day in Florence. Morning: choose your masterpiece. The Uffizi for Botticelli and da Vinci, or the Accademia for Michelangelo's David. (You could do both if you start early and move fast, but with kids and grandparents, pick one and savor it.)
Midday: climb the dome. 463 steps through the narrow passage between Brunelleschi's inner and outer shells — you're literally walking inside the engineering solution to a problem that stumped architects for a century. At the top, all of Florence unfolds beneath you.
Afternoon: San Lorenzo leather market (Emily), Mercato Centrale (everyone), gelato from Vivoli (since 1930) or La Carraia (huge portions, river views).
Evening: Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset. It's a 20-minute uphill walk or a 5-minute bus ride. The entire city laid out below you, the Duomo glowing in the last light, a bottle of Chianti open on the wall. This is the moment you'll remember.
Last night in Florence. Tomorrow: train to Milan.
Centro
Last night in Florence. Train to Milan tomorrow morning.
Michelangelo's David was carved from a single block of Carrara marble that had been sitting abandoned in a cathedral workshop for 25 years. Two other sculptors had tried and failed. Michelangelo was 26 when he started; it took him two years.
Leather market! Journals, bags, keychains, bracelets — all in every color imaginable. And the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica spins right next to a café with the best hot chocolate in Florence.
Skip the dome climb — Giotto's Belltower is slightly easier, or just admire from the piazza with a coffee. The Uffizi has elevators. Bus 12 goes directly to Piazzale Michelangelo — no walking uphill required.