It was a museum-heavy weekend in Florence. We knew that visiting museums would be a large portion of our trip because there is so much art and history to see in the famous city, but also because we knew the weather would be chilly and possibly rainy. In preparing for the trip, I once again got books that I hoped would bring the artists/scientists and their work to life for our kids. I also tried to dig up web resources, but there just weren't many nitty gritty sites or posts about doing the Florence museum scene with kids. So here are our experiences and lessons learned along the way.
The Uffizi
This is a biggie in Florence.It's one of the must-see spots and I am glad we did it, but it did take some active parenting to initially entice the kids. One of the things that hooked them in was to point out the evolution from two-dimensional painting to three dimensional. It was also interesting to notice the different ways Mary and Baby Jesus were portrayed. In some paintings, Jesus appears to be a little man in a baby's outfit, in others he is a chubby, blonde babe, and in one he is quite oddly proportioned. Mary also had a wide array of presentations: blonde,magestic, serious, adoring, stoic, formal, less formal, and even with a long neck. Our Jewish kids are becoming quite adept at identifying the Holy Family thanks to our life in Italy! It also helped to have the free Rick Steve's audio guide to the Uffizi because we were able to locate specific paintings and listen to the commentary (we brought along our I-touch and I-phone). Favorite paintings included Botticelli's Birth of Venus and his painting of Spring, and Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch.
A few of the highlights beyond the artwork included the stunning view of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge from the statue gallery; the roof top terrace which also has a unique view of Florence and a tiny little cafe (good for a morning snack or light lunch); and last but certainly not least: the bookstore. Don't be fooled by the first bookstore near the exit of the Uffizi, continue on into a larger space where we were delighted to find a very big selection of children's art books in English, French, and Italian. And speaking of books, here are the ones that helped us before and during our visit to the Uffizi:
Katie and the Mona Lisa (Botticelli's Primavera painting)
Getting to Know Botticelli
Getting to Know Giotto
We reserved tickets in advance but once we arrived, we realized that there really wasn't a need for that in February. BUT, if you are traveling with kids at any other time in the year, do yourself and them a big favor by reserving tickets in advance.
That famous naked boy with a sling shot,David, has a magnetic pull that draws crowds even in February. We didn't have to wait in line or buy tickets on-line (although you really should do that during peak seasons), but this was the only place we encountered a bit of a crowd during our time in Florence. He is worth seeing up close and personal. Really amazing to see that beautiful piece of work from all angles. The kids had a good giggle about his nakedness but then turned their focus to sketching him. We usually bring along sketchbooks and art supplies on museum visits, but on that day it was raining and we weren't carry much beyond umbrellas and jackets. That's when the I-touch and I-phone came in handy again. Handed one to each kid and had them sketch with their fingers. I love what emerged. In addition to David, it was also interesting to see the series of statues which were works in progress for Michelango...they gave us all a greater appreciation of how blocks of marble can be transformed into human forms. The Accademia is small and doesn't take much time to see. Books to read before or during a trip to The Accademia:
This was the smallest museum we visited during our time in Florence, but it was by far the kids' favorite one. It is basically three rooms filled with working models of DaVinci's incredible inventions and machines. On a rainy day in February we had the entire museum to ourselves, which was wonderful because the kids just kept running from one machine to the next (it's all hands-on). It would have been nice to see a bit more information about Da Vinci and the science behind the machines, but it was nice to see the kids having so much fun. Don't go expecting a fully fleshed out Da Vinci experience, but if you have kids and it's a rainy day or if you have kids with an interest in science keep this in mind while visiting Florence. Also, there is a great little Turkish Kebab restaurant directly across the street. Good kid reads about Da Vinci include:
Getting to Know Da Vinci
The Galileo Museum
This was our biggest mistake of the trip and it was all my fault. I saved it for our last day and kept telling the kids they would love the science museum. Let me say this in a very loud and clear voice since we learned this the hard way: "It is not a kid-friendly, hands-on museum". It is a museum about the history of science. I made the mistake of assuming it would be a hands-on science museum and I failed to fully research it before our trip. There are some interesting displays (including a few relics of Galileo's fingers) but after building it up for my kids, it turned into a sad and whiny experience for all of us. This is a museum best for older kids and adults.
Having done the above museums with the kids, I have to admit that Adam and I both said on several occasions that Florence would be a city worth visiting without kids so we could spend more time really seeing the art and history that seem to be around each corner. Don't get me wrong. We love traveling with our kids and having family adventures. But the reality is that none of the museums we visited in Florence are especially kid-friendly. You won't find exciting kid activity guides, scavenger hunts, or cool little backpacks filled with art supplies like we have experienced at other museums in Europe. If our kids were just a tad bit older, I would probably have spent the extra money and hired a private guide like the ones at Context to help us experience it all more fully.
But here are two kid activities that don't need any special books or guides to enjoy: Grom Gelato (seriously delicious and seasonal) and the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica.
