Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy
Christmas shopping in the world’s oldest pharmacy is a pretty awesome way to shop.
The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella can trace its roots back to Florence 1221. In that year, Dominican friars founded the convent of Santa Maria Novella, and began to cultivate – among other things – a garden. From that same garden, many centuries of experience in pharmacy, herbs and natural preparations began to develop.
And in later years that experience would expand to include the worlds of cosmetics, fragrances and wellness products. This is also where perfume was created by the Dominican friars for Caterina De Medici who took it to France with her. (That is how perfume arrived in France! History is magical ✨). They were the first to use alcohol in perfume. To this day they make some extraordinary perfumes, bath products, herbal supplements, elixirs and even home fragrances. All of it is natural, and you can see the garden where it all began from the windows.
You can now shop all of their magical fragrances, skincare, candles, and more online – visit their website. Interested in more from my travels in Italy? Check out some of my favorite places in Florence and this post about Tenuta Sette Ponti, a gorgeous vineyard in Chianti!
Photo Credit: Collin Pierson Photography
