After more than 120 years of handcrafting history on the Ponte Vecchio, renowned family-run Florentine jewellers Fratelli Piccini has doubled its locations in the city centre by opening a design-driven boutique near piazza Duomo.
The new 90-square-metre store in via Roma ideated by Antonio Facco, a talented Milanese designer in his thirties, and Ukrainian architect Eugene Pertsula elevates the brand through showcasing haute jewellery. It’s a decision taken by company CEO Elisa Tozzi Piccini aimed at developing a dialogue with a modern clientele in their search for original artisanal creations. The outcome is a sophisticated triumph of stylish boiserie, helical cantilevered ceilings and shaped weathered steel panels emblazoned with the double seahorse logo belonging to the multigenerational family firm.
A number of leading companies specializing in artisanal and research-based design for furnishings and accessories were involved in designing the via Roma boutique, such as Arredo Legno Design in Arezzo, which crafted all the structural elements and custom-designed furnishings, from the showcase columns to the helical structure of the cantilevered ceiling, to the customized metal carpentry and accessories; Giorgetti Meda, which provided the exclusive furnishings for the F.P. Lounge; and Falegnameria Ripamonti, which supplied the artistic flamed walnut floor with floral inlaid by the atelier’s entrance.
“I am truly moved to lead this new phase of our history, which marks a turning point for us,” says Elisa Tozzi Piccini. “The Ponte Vecchio is—and remains—our home, which it has been for more than 120 years, and our atelier there will continue to be a foundry of beauty and exclusivity. The opening of the via Roma boutique allows us to engage, in new and even more rarefied ways, with an audience looking for the true essence of our meticulous work.”
The most significant feature of the design is a contemporary reinterpretation of the typical sun awning, something that has always characterized the image of the shops on the Ponte Vecchio. Having crossed the timeless threshold, clients can admire the haute jewelry, including exclusive artisanal pieces by Giorgetti, displayed in the undulating, satin-finished, column-like cases that evoke the idea of the exterior awning. Through an arch that recalls the façade of the palazzo, a staircase leads up to the F.P. Lounge, where, in a more private atmosphere, clients can appreciate the perfection of the maison’s goldsmithing art with a glass of wine and a video about the maison’s history.
About Fratelli Piccini
Founded in 1903, Fratelli Piccini has led the way in Italian haute jewellery for four generations and remains the last remaining workshop still operating on the Ponte Vecchio under the guidance of CEO Elisa Tozzi Piccini and president Laura Piccini.
A guardian of the long Florentine tradition of goldsmithery, Fratelli Piccini has been recognized on numerous occasions as an business based on cultural and artistic value. Armando Piccini, Elisa’s great-uncle, won a Venice Biennale Award in 1936 and two Diamond Awards (in 1958 in New York and in 1959 in Buenos Aires). Many clients came to Florence from all over the world, including members of European royal families and Hollywood actors such as Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Ingrid Bergman and Bette Davis, to purchase Armando’s latest creations, at a time when he employed 20 master goldsmiths.
In 1993, Fratelli Piccini donated to the city of Florence the 14 hand-engraved gems by Armando Piccini that had earned him the Venice Biennale prize in 1936. Today, these masterpieces are housed in the Treasury of the Grand Dukes Museum, formerly the Silver Museum, at Palazzo Pitti. In 2003, the company sponsored the restoration of the famous painting La Carità by Piero del Pollaiolo, now part of the Uffizi Galleries’s permanent collection. Fratelli Piccini’s attention to art and the social fabric of Florence continues through support for foundations and associations, and in 2015 the Maison helped to sponsor the restoration of the loggia of the Pazzi Chapel in Santa Croce.
In 2018, to celebrate 115 years of activity, Elisa created the Armando Piccini Award – “Heritage for the Future”, with the aim of encouraging future goldsmiths, providing scholarships and internships at the Fratelli Piccini workshop. In 2020, for the second edition of the award, Fratelli Piccini collaborated with the Politecnico di Milano School of Design, in particular with the Master’s program in Accessory Design led by Alba Cappellieri. In 2023, Fratelli Piccini celebrated 120 years of haute jewellery.
