I must say that staying at a good hostel can make all the difference in appreciating a city to its fullest. First of all, location is key. Tasso was situated in what's considered the artsy neighborhood of Florence, across the river from the city center. It was easy to walk to tourist attractions from there, but at the same time we could escape the downtown bustle and find the more authentic side of Florence.
Although I had hesitated to book a room at Tasso because of its higher prices (€40/person/night for a double bedroom), Johanna and I soon realized that our hostel was worth the price: we had access to a kitchen, a free breakfast, a common room, a patio, Wi-Fi, low-cost washing and drying machines, and (most importantly) air conditioning. And even though the common room and bar are more popular during the colder months of the year when it's more comfortable to go out, we met and chatted with quite a few other travelers: Jennifer from Canada, Shawn from Canada, and Bettina from Australia, who were each traveling alone; and Georgia from Australia and Abby from England, who were traveling together.
After nerding out in the museum for over two hours we wandered past the center towards the Great Synagogue. We never found our way there despite its bright blue-green dome, but we did run into Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi, a religious complex including a church and a convent. As I said before, Florence surprised me with the excitement and tranquility that coexist so closely.
To best appreciate the Uffizi and the Accademia we rented audioguides for 6 euros each at both museums. Compared the audioguides we'd used so far at the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Louvre in Paris, the audioguides at Florentine museums were intuitive and informative even if the descriptions were a bit dry at times. In general, we've found that audioguides are a useful tool for getting the most out of a museum.
In the evening at the hostel I sat and conversed with a group of English, Australian, and Canadian travelers. At breakfast the next morning Johanna and I talked with Abby and Georgia, who were heading to Venice the same day and staying at the same hostel as we were. What a coincidence!
I wish I could have stayed longer in Florence, but that's happily been the case in most of the cities on our itinerary. I'd love to come back someday, but the next city awaits!
After climbing the Campanile I met up with Johanna in front of the Uffizi Gallery for our 4:45 time slot. We were lucky to have found tickets available since we had booked them just one day before, and the later time slot meant that the museum was presumably less packed than it would have been in the middle of the day. Of all the highlights, I enjoyed Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and Primavera the best.