By Jenni Sellan
@jennisellan


Often referred to in fashion circles as the 5th fashion capital of the world, Florence is home to many of the legendary designer houses; Emilio Pucci, Roberto Cavalli, Salvatore Ferragamo and of course the house of Gucci.

It should come as no surprise then with its rich heritage in fashion that you will find Gucci’s newest business venture, Gucci Gardens located in Florence’s 14th Century Palazzo Della Marconizia, the museum a melding of the old and the new and its namesake and design by Alessandro Michele surely inspired by the brands propensity toward flora and fauna.

Despite it’s name hinting at an actual glorious designer garden, Gucci Gardens is in fact not a garden at all, but a three story, 6-room concept store; The dwelling of a boutique, bazaar style store, gallery rooms, including a space named… (Wait for it) Guccification’, dedicated to the evolution of ‘GG’ the house Logo and of course a small cinema, ‘Cinema da camera’, where the fashionable can watch experimental films below a tent of luxurious red velvet.

gucci garden
gucci garden

The final decadence? Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura, a restaurant in partnership with Italy’s renowned three-Michelin-star chef, Massimo Bottura, makes this the ultimate designer accompaniment.

As described by Gucci,

“In a series of rooms a story unfolds: from a curated selection of pieces dating back to the House’s Florentine origins in 1921 together with recent work, memorabilia, ephemera and contemporary art, exploring the eclectic creativity that lies at the heart of Gucci” gucci garden

From signature wrapping for purchases, to products sold and designed exclusively for the boutique, keeping in line with the vision, Massimo Bottura has curated an exclusive menu for the 50 seat restaurant, inclusive of traditional Italian cuisine and classical dishes with a modern twist, and if you just want to sit and soak in the Instgram worthy space drinking coffee, indulge in a cappuccino with Gucci embellished sugar cubes. Because bespoke is the new black.

For those who prefer not to dine, a nominal fee of £12 pounds will gain you entry into the museum with half of the proceeds supporting restoration projects in and around Florence.

So now you can have breakfast at Tiffany’s in New York, and skip across to Florence just in time for dinner (apparently the mushroom risotto is to die for).

If I were you, I’d book your table before you book your flights!