It may be based on a true story, but House of Gucci is not a documentary. Director Ridley Scott uses plenty of artistic license to tell the tragedy of the family who once helmed the luxury fashion brand, turning Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver), Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), Paolo Gucci (Jared Leto), and the rest of the players into larger-than-life characters with a healthy dose of camp. (Since the film’s premiere, the real-life Gucci family released a lengthy statement taking issue with their portrayal.)
So, when it comes to the luxe interiors where the machinations take place, how accurate is what fans see on-screen? “Nowadays everyone [takes] a selfie and everyone is available. But, in the past, private life, especially in Italy, [was] more private,” the film’s set decorator Letizia Santucci tells AD. With few pictures of the Gucci family’s real homes available, she, production designer Arthur Max, and their team set out to “deliver a message” through the sets instead of a perfect recreation.
“We want to make a movie where every character is [in] a house that reflects the personality of the character,” Santucci says. However, given the fact that they are all members of the same family and the same wealthy Milan society, there were certainly some through lines, one of them being gorgeous Italian antiques. Santucci sourced items from Robertaebasta, Gallery Ltwid, Michel Leo Milano, Rubelli, Lalique, Daum, and more to fill sets created at the iconic Cinecitta studios in Rome. These spaces were married with shots on location at a number of historic villas to create the houses of Gucci. Below, AD takes a closer look.
Villa Necchi Campiglio
Villa Necchi Campiglio was originally built by members of the family of the same name, whose company produced cast-iron products and sewing machines.
Photo: De Simone Lorenzo/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesVilla Necchi Campiglio in Milan became Rodolfo Gucci’s (played by Jeremy Irons) dark living time capsule where he reminisces on his days as an actor and broods about his son Maurizio’s marriage to Patrizia. Built in 1935 by architect Piero Portaluppi and later updated by Tomaso Buzzi, the property is reportedly home to Milan’s first private swimming pool and operates as a museum today. Cinephiles will recognize it as the house from the 2009 Tilda Swinton film I Am Love. Villa Necchi is considered a work of Rationalist architecture, though Buzzi’s updates have more ornamental features.
Villa Balbiano
Villa Balbiano was filled with plenty of antiques and designer furniture pieces—such as Bonacina 1889 lawn chairs and Binori 1735 tableware—but also items that were custom-made for the film, like the outdoor canopy structure.
Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images