A weekend in Florence with Pucci’s artistic director, Camille Miceli

I first came to Florence with a lover almost 30 years ago. It’s a romantic city, even more than Venice I think: the Arno river has its own magic and you have this very particular light in Florence that you don’t find anywhere else. At the same time, there’s something less nostalgic about Florence because of the city’s factories and artisans, so there’s always a kind of buzz and energy. I love the city’s sense of pride around the craft tradition.

Now I live in Milan, but I come here every time I need to visit the Pucci archives that are kept in the pucci palacewhere Laudomia [founder Emilio Pucci’s daughter] Lives with his mother. It was the maison’s headquarters until 2017 and now houses the Emilio Pucci Heritage Hub, which has a space dedicated to Pucci’s most iconic print, Vivara, as well as a library of colors and archival pieces in furniture and design. For me, Florentine fashion epitomizes Pucci, which is why I chose to do my first show here. There was no way he could do it anywhere else. Florencia is the DNA of the brand.

Every time I visit, I like to stay in the Hotel Lunarno. It’s small, nothing flashy. The decor is very soft, and I love that it faces the river so you can see the boys rowing their boats. For a typical Italian sandwich, you have to go to procacci, which is a small food and wine shop that makes the best sandwiches in the world, the kind you have in the morning with your coffee. Their specialty is the truffled version with scrambled egg, although I personally don’t really like truffles, so I usually go for the sautéed peas and Parmigiano cream. Then I will walk, cross the bridges and approach the Uffizi Gallery, which is absolutely amazing. I never get bored going there. I also love the contemporary art exhibitions they present at the Strozzi Palace. There is a collective exhibition at the moment, with artists like Maurizio Cattelan and Paola Pivi, which is very good.

I love the city’s sense of pride around the craft tradition.

One thing I really enjoy doing here is going to the antique shops. When I moved to Milan from Paris, I decided that I only wanted to furnish my house with vintage things. I covered the sofa with a fabric I bought in Egypt and got a new bed, but other than that I just went shopping for old pieces and found a lot in Florence. There’s a whole street of antique shops called Via Maggio, which has really, really cool places like Alina Malova. I also really like a store called Estro Gallery by Michele Ramazzotti, which is in a courtyard building and has a mix of trinkets and vintage clothing; you really feel like you are in a brocante. There is a guy there who has a very nice collection of furniture from the 50s and 70s, from whom I bought a beautiful wooden buffet that I now have in the entrance of the house. I like to mix styles and different eras.

It is such a small city that you get to know it very quickly, but every time you go there is something new to discover. I really like paying attention to the graphics and fonts you see around town. You can see some very interesting graphics in the style of the 60s and 70s in front of large buildings like the Hotel Croce di Malta for example. The contrast of the old buildings with the new ones is very cool. Of course you have to visit the museums, but just walking around the city is inspiring because there is a lot of art everywhere. I also love him wine bottle – the little wine windows – that you find all over Florence. Although I don’t drink wine, I find them very charming.

For dinner, I love to go to Camilo’s Trattoria: It’s a Florentine institution and they do an excellent frittata ai carciofi, which is a delicious omelette with artichokes. i love too Trattoria Sostanza, which is famous for its meat. I never eat meat except when I’m in Florence. What I really like about those two places is that they feel authentic and you will always find locals Fiorentini there.

Even with all the tourists the city attracts, there is still a way of life here that is very cool and laid back. A friend of mine lives on the hill near the Boboli Gardens and you feel like you are in the country, there is something very peaceful and relaxing about it. In Florence, there is a wonderful sense of balance that makes it a very attractive place to be.