The real ‘House of Gucci’: Gucci Museum virtual tour
FLORENCE, Italy – “Can you keep a secret?”
Such was among the lines of Jared Leto portraying Paolo Gucci in the 2021 crime/mystery thriller “House of Gucci.”
The real House of Gucci, however, is far from tragic – but also thrilling, nonetheless.
In Firenze’s (Florence) Piazza della Mercanzia lies its namesake Palazzo, a 14th-century gothic palace that is now the home of a modern cultural hub, the Gucci Museo, which was transformed into Gucci Gardens in 2011 by the fashion house’s then creative director Alessandro Michele.
Following Michele’s replacement by Sabato De Sarno as new creative director in January last year, the museum has morphed into Gucci Visions, an immersive exhibition portraying the Italian luxury brand’s 102-year history.
From the house’s classic pieces featuring the label’s famed GG logo, tracing to its foundation by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1921; to designs by past creative directors like Tom Ford (who is also portrayed in “House of Gucci”), the museum aims to show not only the label’s past but also visions for the future, hence its name, “Gucci Visions.”
Apart from exhibitions of past works providing visitors with a personal and up-close look at the details of pivotal Gucci pieces, including those donned by celebrities from all over the world for red carpet events, the museum has:
- a gaming room with real Gucci games that appeal to today's gaming generation;
- a “hall of mirrors” with an optical illusion display of the label’s thousands of handbags;
- as well as an immersive, kaleidoscope presentation of the Flora, the floral pattern Rodolfo Gucci designed for Princess Grace of Monaco.
Right before the exit, a huge window gives a picturesque view of the Piazza della Mercanzia and its magnificent Fountain of Neptune.
Capping the immersive experience is an invitation to try the adjacent Gucci Osteria by three-Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura; or boutique selling Gucci wares sold exclusively in the store.
As the shop quotes English poet William Blake, “I went to the garden of love, and saw what I never had seen.”
