Florence museums closed on Mondays

Dixie Chick

We will arrive in Florence on Monday, May 16, which is the day that we are to have a guided tour of the Galleria dell' Accademia. HOWEVER, according to the internet sites, the Accademia is closed on Mondays. So, does Tauck have special arrangements for us? I certainly do not want to go all the way to Italy and soend all that money to miss David!!!

ALSO, on the free afternoon in Florence, is it necessary to get tickets for the Medici Chapel before we leave Dallas, or can we purchase them from the concierge at the hotel or have the TD get them for us?

Many thanks for your help !
Nancy

British

I think this is one of those occasions, which I am sure happens fairly frequently where your tour director has probably changed around the itinerary a little to allow for this, which is why I would be a little cautious about booking anything else for a free day until you are sure this is not the case. I would call Tauck for clarification, it is certainly a great question. I do think I read somewhere recently that there are renovations going on at the Galleria, you might want to search the implications of that too. Also, ask Tauck about the Medici chapel.

Dixie Chick

Thank you British, for your suggestions, and I will follow up on them. Tauck has 13 tours for this itinerary this year, and 8 of them have the same beginning date which puts them in Florence on a Monday. The Uffuzi is also closed on Mondays, so that is not a swap out option, and those are the only 2 days we are in Florence. Surely, some arrangements have been made, or there could be lots and lots of very unhappy travelers.
Nancy

British

Hi Nancy, that is a lot of research you did. Just call Tauck to ease your mind and get the answer. I would love to know what they tell you too. I cannot remember what days we were in Florence. But here is the power of Tauck-- there was some kind of strike one day when literally the strikers lit bonfires in the middle of major roads, so our tour guide had us up extra early to get past a particular spot before the local bonfire was lit. We then travelled to Naples, hammered on the door of the museum which was also closed because of the strike. The local tour guide made some sort of negotiation, they let our Tauck group in, we saw the exhibits related to Pompeii as planned, we came out, they closed up again!

lovestravel

Dixie Chick, I hope you've contacted Tauck and have been reassured that you'll be able to visit both the Uffizi and the Academia despite their Monday closure. We took this fantastic tour about 10 years ago, the first of several Tauck tours, and probably our most favorite of all the 25+ tours we've taken, unfortunately not all with Tauck. Although all our tours have been wonderful, Tauck is by far the most inclusive with wonderful hotels, meals, sightseeing, etc. We toured both the Uffizi and the Academia in the morning and had a free afternoon. It was about lunchtime when we finished, so we walked from the Academia to the nearby San Lorenzo district where we lunched outside at a wonderful small restaurant named Za Za, a restaurant recommended by Tauck as well as by my niece who had dined there on another tour. We devoured spinach stuffed ravioli with a truffle sauce followed by fantastic tiramisu. The highlight for me afterwards was our visit to the Medici Chapel to feast our eyes upon Michelangelo's wonderful "Dusk and Dawn" and "Night and Day." It was not crowded and we were able to purchase our tickets at the entrance and did not have to stand in line to enter. I have no way of knowing whether or not that has changed in the last few years. Have a great trip to Italy and success in visiting the wonderful offerings in Florence!