The former Gucci Garden is now Palazzo Gucci. It stands in the 14th-century Palazzo della Mercanzia on Piazza della Signoria, a few steps from the city where Guccio Gucci opened his first shop in 1921. Inside are the new Gucci Storia exhibition, the Michelin-starred Gucci Osteria, the Gucci Giardino café and a boutique. This guide covers what to see room by room, where to eat, tickets and hours, and the best fashion stops nearby.
Visitors still search for “Gucci Garden”, and many maps and older guides still use the name. The building has been renamed and reinvented several times, so it helps to know what you will actually find there today.
If a ticket, tour or article mentions “Gucci Garden” or “Gucci Museo”, it means this building. What you will see inside is Gucci Storia, not the older Gucci Garden displays. Check that any ticket you buy is for the current exhibition.
You can see the exhibition in about an hour. To make the most of it, combine it with a meal, the square outside and a short walk to Florence’s other fashion landmarks.
The exhibition traces 105 years of Gucci history across nine rooms on the first and second floors. Demna describes it as a “museum of museums”: each room borrows the format of a different kind of museum, from a tapestry hall to a cabinet of curiosities.
The La Manifattura and Archivio rooms show the pieces that built the brand: tennis bags, shaving kits, scarves and the classic models, including the Bamboo bag of 1947 and the Jackie of 1961.
The Palazzo della Mercanzia was the seat of Florence’s merchants’ court, which settled trade disputes for the city’s powerful guilds. Look up at the façade on the square for the guild coats of arms.
The ground-floor restaurant holds one Michelin star. Chef Takahiko Kondo cooks Tuscan and Italian dishes with international touches, inspired by Massimo Bottura’s creative style.
Palazzo Gucci’s all-day café and cocktail bar is the easy way to enjoy the brand’s style without a tasting menu. Stop for breakfast, a light lunch or an evening drink.
The ground-floor boutique sells Gucci pieces in the building where the brand displays its history. You can visit it without an exhibition ticket.
Palazzo Gucci faces Florence’s civic heart. Opposite are Palazzo Vecchio, the Fountain of Neptune, the copy of Michelangelo’s David and the open-air sculptures of the Loggia dei Lanzi.
The Salvatore Ferragamo museum is in Palazzo Spini Feroni on Piazza Santa Trinita, about 8 minutes on foot. It pairs well with Gucci Storia for a day of Florentine fashion history.
Florence’s leather trade is the reason Gucci started here. In the Santa Croce district, the Scuola del Cuoio leather school lets visitors watch artisans at work behind the basilica.
From the square, walk past the Uffizi to the river and the medieval bridge lined with jewellers’ shops. Continue to Palazzo Pitti for the Museum of Fashion and Costume.
The route runs over two floors. Each room tells part of the story in a different museum format, so it is worth reading the room introductions as you go.
Large tapestries inspired by Renaissance art tell Gucci’s 105-year history, a nod to Florence’s textile tradition.
A portrait gallery built around Catherine Opie’s photographs, which explores genealogy and identity.
A cabinet of curiosities laid out like a natural history museum, with drawers of archive objects to discover.
An immersive, monochrome screening room showing short films and visual content.
Large-format images by Demna, linking the archive to the brand’s present.
A two-part room on craftsmanship: the iconic models on one side and contemporary innovation on the other.
On the second floor, suspended mannequins display ready-to-wear and show how materials shape the clothes.
“The Room of Truth” recalls Gucci’s private room in 1980s New York.
The finale: an interactive, monochrome “oracle” installation where visitors take part.
Gucci rotates objects and installations. The room themes above are those announced at the April 2026 opening.
The exhibition makes more sense if you know the milestones. These are the pieces and dates visitors most often look for.
Both are inside Palazzo Gucci and have their own hours, which differ from the exhibition’s. You do not need an exhibition ticket to eat or drink.
A collaboration between Gucci and the Modena chef Massimo Bottura, run in Florence by executive chef Takahiko Kondo. The Michelin Guide singles out his “Sogno di cacciucco”, a reworking of Livorno’s fish stew.
The palazzo’s café and cocktail bar serves coffee, light meals and drinks from morning to evening, in rooms decorated in Gucci style.
Figures are those published for 2026–2027. Check the official channels before visiting, as hours can change for holidays and private events.
| What | Details | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Piazza della Signoria 10, 50122 Florence | East side of the square, near Palazzo Vecchio |
| Gucci Storia ticket | €12 full price | Ask about reduced rates at the desk |
| Hours 1 Jun – 31 Oct 2026 | Daily 10:00–20:00 | Arrive at least an hour before closing |
| Hours 1 Nov 2026 – 31 May 2027 | Daily 10:00–19:00 | Osteria and Giardino hours differ |
| Floors | Boutique on the ground floor; exhibition on floors 1–2 | Lifts and stair-lifts |
| Accessibility | Lifts, stair-lifts and accessible toilets | All three floors |
| Contact | +39 055 75927010 · guccipalazzo@gucci.com | For tickets, groups and access questions |
Some resellers still sell tickets under the old name. A standard ticket costs €12, so check what a higher-priced bundle includes before paying for it.
Gucci Storia is easy to visit on your own. To understand why Florence became a fashion capital, a private guide can show you the leather districts and workshops around it.
It is a private walking tour of Florence’s leather and fashion heritage, including Santa Croce’s leatherworking tradition and the story of “Made in Italy”. It is not an entry ticket to Palazzo Gucci: book Gucci Storia separately if you want to see the exhibition.
Private tourA local expert shows you Florence’s leather and fashion history, from artisan workshops to the luxury houses that grew from them.
This is an affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The tour operator sets the price, availability and inclusions, which may differ from what is shown here.
Florence’s fashion sights are all within a short walk. Walking times are approximate and start from Piazza della Signoria.
The shoemaker’s museum in Palazzo Spini Feroni, Piazza Santa Trinita, with temporary exhibitions drawn from the Ferragamo archive.
Florence’s grandest shopping street, lined with Italian and international fashion houses in Renaissance palaces.
The 16th-century loggia known for the bronze boar, Il Porcellino, and its leather and souvenir stalls.
The traditional tanners’ and leatherworkers’ district, home to the Scuola del Cuoio leather school.
In Palazzo Pitti, Italy’s first state museum of fashion history, included in the Pitti Palace ticket.
Street stalls selling leather jackets, bags and belts. Quality varies, so check the stitching and the leather.
Allow 60–75 minutes for the nine rooms, then browse the ground-floor boutique.
See the Loggia dei Lanzi sculptures and the Fountain of Neptune, or join a Palazzo Vecchio visit.
Book the Osteria for lunch, or keep it casual at the Giardino.
Walk to Museo Ferragamo and up Via de’ Tornabuoni, or cross the Ponte Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti.
Palazzo Gucci is compact and central. These tips help with the busiest times and practical details.
Midday is busiest, when tour groups pass through the square. Opening time and the last two hours are calmer.
The Uffizi is next door. See Gucci Storia before or after your timed Uffizi entry.
If dining is a priority, secure the table first, then plan the exhibition around it.
The rooms are compact. Small bags make moving through the displays easier.
Follow the signs and staff guidance in each room, as some installations may have restrictions.
All three floors are served by lifts or stair-lifts, and there are accessible toilets. Contact the palazzo in advance with specific needs.
Short answers to the questions visitors ask most often.
The building is open as Palazzo Gucci. The Gucci Garden exhibition was replaced in April 2026 by Gucci Storia, a new exhibition curated by Demna.
A full-price ticket is €12. The boutique, the Osteria and the Giardino can be visited without an exhibition ticket.
Daily 10:00–20:00 until 31 October 2026, then 10:00–19:00 from 1 November 2026 to 31 May 2027.
About an hour for the exhibition. Allow up to three hours if you add lunch and the boutique.
Yes, one star. The chef is Takahiko Kondo, and the restaurant is a collaboration with Massimo Bottura.
In Florence. Guccio Gucci opened his first shop on Via della Vigna Nuova in 1921.
Search for “Palazzo Gucci, Piazza della Signoria 10”. It is the same building as Gucci Garden.
10:00–20:00 until 31 October, 10:00–19:00 from 1 November.
Reserve the Osteria in advance. The Giardino is the casual option.
Images via Wikimedia Commons: Piazza della Signoria by Txllxt TxllxT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Palazzo della Mercanzia by Elenasan (CC BY-SA 3.0); Fountain of Neptune from the Palazzo della Mercanzia by Francesco Bini (CC BY-SA 4.0); Museo Salvatore Ferragamo by Richard, enjoy my life! (CC BY-SA 2.0); Loggia dei Lanzi by Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0). Tour image via GetYourGuide.
