A) don’t go in the summer. I went in the beginning of October and it was still blazing hot.
B) Get reservations to all the museums if you’re not going on a tour. This will save you a lot of waiting. Espcially at Academia.
- I’ll post more later. I’ll have to dig out my itenerary

definitely go see the david at the accademia! and make reservations ahead of time so you can save a lot of time waiting in line.
the boboli gardens are also worth seeing and they’re quite a hike to the top but beautiful views.
hmmm i wasn’t there for more than a weekend but it is definitely worth seeing the uffizi gallery from what i’ve heard.
shop! the leather products in florence are good deals and high quality!
the number one thing i recommend doing/seeing is going up to piazzale michelangelo – this is a piazza up on one of the hills that has an AMAZING view of florence, particularly at sunset.
if you have any more questions, let me know!

Firenze is great. In addition, I would consider the greater area as well. We spent a week this summer and was living at a olive farm 10 minutes drive from downtown Firenze. We had a lovely apartement in a farm house in the hills above Firenze with a splendid view. Pool, garden, terrace and everything. Suprinsingly, this short drive from the city centre you are completely at the country side. Narrow winding roads, olive farms, very local restaurant serving generous dishes, and local shops and bars combined. Almost nobody speaks english but a great way to practice your italian. No problem visiting Firenze in July, but reserving tickets is a good advise. Even driving in Firenze was okay.

Florence is awesome, whether you stay in the city or one of the places just outside of Florence. I’ve done both. You just have to remember that you will pay a lot more to stay right in Florence, and you will likely have a tiny, old room with a tiny bathroom. Last year, we stayed in Fiesole at a Bed and Breakfast called Le Cannelle, which I highly recommend. http://www.lecannelle.com/default.html. There is lots to see in Fiesole itself. We really loved the food and the view of Florence from a restaurant called La Reggia. http://www.lareggiadeglietruschi.com/ It’s not cheap to eat there, but it wasn’t especially expensive when we went. It is very convenient to take the bus from Fiesole to Florence and back. I do not recommend driving in Florence, but that’s just based on my experience. Anyway, once you are in Florence, you really don’t have to drive at all. Everything is within walking distance. Oh, and take good shoes, because your feet will take a beating! Ciao!