Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura opened in 2018 in the Palazzo della Mercanzia on Piazza della Signoria, the medieval guild hall that is also home to the Gucci Garden. Florence is where Gucci was founded, and this small restaurant is the original of what has become a series of Gucci Osteria restaurants around the world, including Tokyo and Seoul, developed with the Modena chef Massimo Bottura. The Florence restaurant holds a Michelin star, and the kitchen is led by the Japanese-born chef Takahiko Kondo.

The cooking is contemporary Italian with a playful, international edge, which is what you would expect from the Bottura stable. Menus follow the seasons and change regularly, and the restaurant describes its approach as creative, elegant and humorous. Dishes often take a familiar Italian idea or a well-known international dish and rework it with surprising techniques and flavours. There are tasting menus as well as à la carte options, and wine pairings are available.

The dining room is intimate, with a limited number of tables, and shares its historic building with the Gucci Garden. It feels more relaxed than the city's traditional temples of haute cuisine, but service is polished. Book well ahead through the official website, especially for dinner and weekends. Prices are high, as you would expect for a starred restaurant on Florence's main square, so check the current menus online before you go.

The restaurant suits food lovers who already know Florence's traditional cooking and want something different, couples celebrating, and fashion fans visiting the Gucci Garden. The brand also runs a garden setting with its own menu, a shop selling food and spirits, and experiences such as cookery classes and vineyard tours, which are bookable online.

The restaurant faces Piazza della Signoria, opposite the Palazzo Vecchio, a few steps from the Uffizi and the Loggia dei Lanzi. It is a natural choice for lunch or dinner after a day of sightseeing in the centre. The Ponte Vecchio is about five minutes' walk away and the Duomo around seven minutes. Lunch is often easier to book than dinner and can be a gentler introduction to the kitchen's style, so it is worth checking both options when you reserve.