Leaving for Rome In 2 weeks will spend a 3 days in Florence solo then hook up with friends in Rome for the rest of the trip. Early to mid March.

Some questions?advice

Suggestions for attire? Footwear? Packing light tips

Weather - early to mid March?

Florence - solos female: what can I do at night safely/where to go at night

Best Italian shopping buys

Security - best moneybelt to avoid pickpocketters

What I don't want to miss in Florence.(only there Fri, Sat, Sun)

Your experience with luggage locks

by going to ricksteves.com. They have a grafitti wall with numerous threads about the various questions you have posed - even one regarding solo female travelers. Good luck and enjoy your trip. We leave end of May and cannot wait!

Check out the Slowtravel Italy forum (http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/).

Leaving for Rome In 2 weeks will spend a 3 days in Florence solo then hook up with friends in Rome for the rest of the trip. Early to mid March.

Some questions?advice

Suggestions for attire? Footwear? Packing light tips

A:why bother. get a good roller bag. take at least 2 pairs of walking shoes.one to dry out if necessary.

Weather - early to mid March?

A: pleasant

Florence - solos female: what can I do at night safely/where to go at night

A:Italy is about 100(maybe 1000) times safer than usa. I (old male) do not worry. my wife does not worry.

Best Italian shopping buys

A: food and wine. walk via conditti just to do it. also walk over the bridge p.vecchio.

Security - best moneybelt to avoid pickpocketters

A: always keep everything zipped up. PP's will steal anything. no open shopping bags, etc. they just reach in and grab. took my wife's bifocals. just grab and run.

A:get an under the shirt/blouse wallet. cotton, not plastic. either overthe shoulder or around the neck. I have never heard of pp's ripping off a blouse.

What I don't want to miss in Florence.(only there Fri, Sat, Sun)

A: the closed market. the Pitti Pallace. if the line is horrendus, and time short and you are not a fan of 13-14c art, skip ufizzi.

A: walk a lot. Have a lunch or drink on top of fort belvedere. get an outside table.

have a late lunch on the north side of P.d.signoria. take an outside table, looking down toward Ufizzi.

Your experience with luggage locks

A:pain in .... I use airline tape(they will give it to you when you tell them your luggage is falling apart) and those nylon ties used to by carpenters to strap up wire, etc. carry nail clippers to cut them.

also mark your luggage. may be gross, but that large yellow ribbon will stand out(particularly does on my purple maxi roller bag)


stay someplace in the old city.

Q: What not to miss in Florence
A: the Pitti Pallace. if the line is horrendus, and time short and you are not a fan of 13-14c art, skip ufizzi.


I lived in Italy for 2 years and spend every summer there. Most of this response is quite good but this particular issue is inaccurate as its based on the poster's personal opinion, not fact. Yes, the Uffizzi houses some of the most important paintings by Giotto, Cimabue, etc... from the late medieval (i.e. 14th century) but it also houses works from the 15th - 17th century including Botticelli (including both the Birth of Venus and Primavera), Leonardo, Michelangelo, Titian, Caravaggio. It is a far more important collection than that housed in the Pitti.

If you don't like painting collections, I would suggest skipping both. Also, you should look at the various Florentine museum sites - as the Uffizzi (and Pitti I believe) both accept advance reservations for entrance.