The Gucci Museum offers exclusive treats

A temple to the double-bit logo’s past and present, with a great shop

Usually I come to Florence to immerse myself in the Renaissance: the massive Duomo, the treasures of the Uffizi, that sort of thing – with an occasional stroll down Via Tornabuoni thrown in for good (retail) measure. But my most recent trip found me at the Gucci Museo – a special exhibition space, shop and bustling café all rolled into one fabulous 14th-century palazzo at the heart of the Piazza della Signoria that opened last October.

It offers a wonderful juxtaposition of old and new – Medici history mixed with the house’s iconic motifs (not to mention a seriously tricked-out 1970s Cadillac Seville). I had a ball discovering everything from Gucci golf clubs to luggage to brocade gowns to elegant crystal-studded minaudières. After a spin through spaces both blinged-out and somewhat bare – and with a stop in the Contemporary Art area to watch a video installation by Bill Viola – I headed straight for the ground-floor shop. And here’s where this place really gets interesting.

It turns out the museum’s shop sells the marque’s Icon Collection – including exclusive pieces only available at this particular Florence location. Not on the Via Montenapoleone, or at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport – not even over at the Florence flagship store, on the Via Tornabuoni: only here. I found a colourful array of leather and crocodile bags and horsebit moccasins (examples in first picture; from €580 for leather, €4,750 for crocodile), as well as the timeless Flora scarf (€380), made famous by Grace Kelly and recently reintroduced by Gucci’s creative director, Frida Giannini. There are bangle watches (second picture, €2,500) with various vibrant casings, and bamboo-trimmed wallets (from €589) and riding boots (women’s €980, men’s €990) made specially for the collection.

Now, I’m by no means suggesting you forgo the Bargello or the Pitti Palace on your next visit to this magical city. But do stop at the Museo for an uplifting and unexpected – and, in the Icon Collection’s case, 100 per cent unique – look at the past, present and future of Gucci.