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This family took their teens to Italy for spring break and learned that museums can be as delicious as the gelato.

Italy. Just mention that you are going on vacation to Italy and people get that dreamy look in their eyes. Everybody loves Italy. What’s not to love: the art, the food, the scenery, the people...it’s all amazing. And so we learned on our recent visit there. Here is my account of our four days in Tuscany, with stops in Florence and Siena.

Florence

Florence, known as the “cradle of the Renaissance,” is a city that is overrun by tourists and art-history majors. And it is crowded. We were there at Easter and could barely walk down the narrow streets. I can only imagine what it's like during the summer. And, be careful if you step off the sidewalks...the drivers here are crazy.

Get out your walking shoes and traverse the city by foot. Even our hotel, the Hotel Cellai (Via 27 Aprile 14, 52/R, 50129, Florence - Italy; 01139 055 489291), was within walking distance of the train station. It was a quaint hotel that’s very centrally located and just a short walk to most of the major museums, shops and sites. It even has a great rooftop garden, perfect for a late afternoon snack (the hotel supplies free coffee and snacks every afternoon) or to watch the sunset. Once, tired of eating big meals out every night, we bought some bread, cheese and prosciutto at a local store and had a relaxing picnic dinner under the stars.

Orientation to Shopping

Our first stop was the Duomo (free of charge) and the adjacent Bapistry with its famous gilded Gates of Paradise (though these are a copy; the originals are housed in the Museo). For views, you have a choice of climbing to the top of the Duomo, or the bell tower next door. We chose the bell tower so we’d have a view of the Duomo’s famous dome. Unlike Venice’s bell tower, there is no elevator here so you need to climb all 414 steps to the top, but the views of the city are worth it.

Florence is a city for shopping, which we really didn’t do. There are many outdoor markets and vendors selling gorgeous leather purses, coats, belts, wallets, etc. You may want to shop around first to get a fix on the going rate and then bargain for what you’d like to pay. There’s usually room for negotiation, especially if you’re paying cash.

The stalls on the Ponte Vecchio are great for window-shopping, unless you’re in the market for gold or silver jewelry. I loved reading the story that the Nazis, who were blowing up all the bridges nearby during World War II, spared this bridge because they found it too beautiful to destroy. Check out the Mercato Centrale market early in the day (it closes by 3pm) for beautiful fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses if you’re thinking of having a picnic or want some edible goodies to take home.

But art is really why you come to Florence -- the home of Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.” Make sure to get advance reservations with a set time for your visit at the Uffizi and L’Accademia (you can ask your hotel to make them). It costs an extra €3 per person but it's well worth it when you only wait about 20 minutes to get in and everyone without reservations is waiting 2 to 3 hours on a very long line.

The Uffizi is known as the greatest gallery of Renaissance art anywhere. It was here that we saw paintings by the “Ninja Turtles” of the art world -- Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello. I read an article that suggested sending kids on a “Ninja Turtle” scavenger hunt to find examples of each of these great artists for whom the famed cartoon Turtles are named. Even my big kids got a kick out of that. We also saw the works of Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Titian, Giotto and many more. Among the top 10 at the Uffizi you’ll find Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus,” Leonardo’s “The Annunciation,” Titian’s “Venus of Urbino,” and Parmigianino’s “Madonna.”