Florence, Piazza Santo Spirito off-limits for Gucci fashion show: controversy ensues

There is controversy in Florence over the partial closure of Piazza Santo Spirito, which will be almost totally off limits today for Gucci’s Cruise 2026 fashion show, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. this evening at the Gucci Archives, located in Palazzo Settimanni. But in fact, it will be the entire neighborhood of Santo Spirito, where the fashion house was born, that will become a sort of stage: how, it is not yet known, all will be revealed at the last. Palazzo Settimanni is located on Via delle Caldaie, just a few steps from the square, and to allow for the set-up operations and the holding of the initiative, the City of Florence has intervened with changes on circulation and transit in Via delle Caldaie and adjacent areas. So, as early as midnight on May 14, and until midnight tonight, circulation disrupted in a part of Via dei Preti, parking bans, from May 13 also until midnight tonight, in a part of Via dei Serragli, and then from the 14th also in Via del Presto di San Martino and Via delle Caldaie. Temporary transit bans yesterday, between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., also on the Via Sant’Agostino-Piazza Santo Spirito-via Mazzetta route to allow for some video filming, and then again today from 2 to 10 p.m. And then the most controversial measure: the ban on pedestrian transit on Piazza Santo Spirito and Via Michelozzi, active from 2 to 10 p.m. today, and on Via delle Caldaie and Via Santa Maria this day from 2 to 10 p.m. During the hours of pedestrian transit on the square, access is allowed only to residents and their guests.

Raising the controversy was the group Sinistra Progetto Comune: “Here we go again,” Dmitrij Palagi and Francesca Lupo, members of the council group, said in a note. “The Municipality of Florence is once again offering itself to a private entity, this time allowing Piazza Santo Spirito to become the site of a parade, while the public baths remain closed for renovations (this is a coincidence, but it exemplifies well the priorities in the political vision of those who govern).”

“We read,” Palagi and Lupo continue, “the statements of the Councillor for Culture and the Mayor in Corriere Fiorentino a few days ago. They express satisfaction, talking about 250,000 euros given for the Florentine Summer and the redevelopment of the Cascine Park. We are basically renting parts of the public city for an exclusive and exclusionary event. This is not new, unfortunately. Recall that in 2019 Gucci was given the very Cascine, announcing in return a donation of trees that was then lost in technical problems. There is a political problem here: is it really okay for the majority to see public parts become spaces available for private events? And do we really believe that it is Gucci that brings prestige to our squares and not our squares that give prestige to companies that have their headquarters in the Tuscan capital? We therefore join the appeal made to the residence and to those who live Florence every day: let us not feel like strangers in our City and let us live it even while the fashion shows of the big fashion houses are held.”

The City of Florence defends what it sees as the importance of the event , which, according to Palazzo Vecchio’s estimates, is expected to bring about half a million euros into the municipal coffers between sponsorships, donations and rentals. For Mayor Sara Funaro, “Gucci is a Florentine fashion house with an important history, and for us it is a source of pride. The fashion world is going through a moment of crisis and must be supported in all forms. It will also leave an important return, there are many funds coming to the City both for the use of spaces and with sponsorships that will give answers to the world of culture and in the environment.” Councillor for Economic Development Jacopo Vicini, on the other hand, says, “We are proudly at the side of a world excellence that is based in our territory and that has exported Florentine know-how all over the world. This is why we have actively collaborated from day one for the best success of the initiative. It is physiological that the organization of events of this magnitude can create some inconveniences for part of the residents and operators, but we are putting all possible efforts to minimize them. The direct economic benefit for the municipality will be more than half a million euros, including sponsorships, donations and space rentals, and the visibility of the beautiful square of Santo Spirito will be worldwide in scope and invaluable.”

Florence, Piazza Santo Spirito off-limits for Gucci fashion show: controversy ensues

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