Uffizi museum

 The Uffizi, and we got reservations for it at 12:30pm.  Not that this changed us standing in line a long time, misdirection from the staff at times and killer crowds.  We had four hours here and I have to say that I was ready to be done by the time we finished.  The 

optional afternoon excursions were Fiesole and Santa Maria Novella.  I didn’t want to get on a bus and go up the hills, so I made my husband take  9 students by himself and went with Rachel and Evie to the church.  But it was too late and the church was closed, so we 

 went to the herbalists attached to the church, fabulous smelling, but way out of my price range, had a drink and then wandered back to the hotel trying to buy things as we went, but the stalls were closing down.  John and the other students got back and had a great time, so it worked 

out for everyone.  I would love to show you pictures from this day, but you can’t take pictures in the Uffizi, so just think of every great Botticelli you’ve ever seen and a lot of religious art and you probably have the right vibe.  But it does have Titian’s Venus of Urbino and some great Raphael’s that are stellar.  Also, they have a great collection of other works like “foreign painters” which is what they called their room for people like Rubens, Durer, and other Dutch masters.