I'm on my way home from a trip from Rome>Florence>pisa>Rovigo>Venice and have to say that Florence was pretty boring compared to Pisa. I guess it depends on what you want to see - architecture vs. art, but the leaning tower was better than anything I saw in Florence, including the Duomo and David. We didn't have time to explore Tuscany much in the 9 days we had, so that may be a reason to go to Florence. I second the comments about Rome at night, everything looks way cooler in the dark. Except the public transportation. Do yourself a favor and pay the $8 for a taxi ride at night. Drivers don't expect a tip.