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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 06 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Nicky Swallow

Housed in the basement of vast, 13th-century Palazzo Spini-Feroni, the Ferragamo dynasty’s headquarters, this small museum displays rotating exhibits from Salvatore Ferragamo’s archives of 10,000 shoes (the Florence-based footwear maestro usually created a pair and a spare). Close up, the shoes resemble sculptures, in experimental materials from nylon fishing line to cellophane.

Highlights include 18-carat gold sandals made for a magnate’s wife, and footwear created for Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.

While you’re there

After satisfying your footwear fetish, check out the colourful frescoes of St Francis’s life by Ghirlandaio in the Santa Trinita church opposite the museum.

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Price from: £6
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 10+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

The museum is centrally located beneath the Ferragamo shop in Palazzo Spini Feroni, opposite the Santa Trinita church.

There’s a virtual guided tour of the different galleries on the website. Guided tours in English are only available for a minimum of ten people (book on the website).

When to do it

The museum is open all year round, seven days a week.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Hotel Continentale Florence

Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]

Cool, edgy Ferragamo-owned design hotel by the Ponte Vecchio in the heart of the city – the perfect base for sightseeing.

Official star rating:

Hotel Lungarno Florence

Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]

Set on the south bank of the Arno River, the Ferragamo-owned Lungarno is a central, stylish and luxurious place to be based for a stay in Florence.

Official star rating:

Helvetia & Bristol

Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]

A historic hotel well-deserving of its five-star status, the Helvetia & Bristol enjoys a fabulously central location and offers sumptuous rooms, bags of atmosphere and top-notch service.

Official star rating:

The Place

Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.4 miles]

One of Italy’s first boutique hotels offers sophisticated interiors, a club-like atmosphere and top-notch service in the heart of Florence.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Tuscany

Tuscany, Italy

The astonishingly beautiful region of Tuscany has it all: art cities and ancient hill towns, high mountains and long sandy beaches, alongside luxurious hotels and some of Italy’s best food and wine.

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