Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Why is it significant?
Step through the doorway on Via della Scala and let your eyes adjust: frescoed vaults, dark wooden cabinets, rows of glass jars and bottles, and a smell of iris, roses and citrus that seems to have soaked into the walls over four hundred years.
Key Facts
| Place | Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella |
|---|---|
| Address | Via della Scala 16, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy |
| Geo Coordinates | 43.77410, 11.24780 |
| Part of Walk | The Medici Quarter of Florence: Palaces, Tombs and Rivals from San Lorenzo to Santa Maria Novella |
| Generated | Generated |
Step through the doorway on Via della Scala and let your eyes adjust: frescoed vaults, dark wooden cabinets, rows of glass jars and bottles, and a smell of iris, roses and citrus that seems to have soaked into the walls over four hundred years.
The Dominican friars of Santa Maria Novella grew medicinal herbs in their gardens from their early days, and made ointments, waters and remedies for the sick in their own infirmary. In 1612 the pharmacy opened its doors to the public, with the approval of the grand duke, and it has been trading ever since, which makes it one of the oldest working pharmacies in the world.
The best-known legend belongs to Catherine de' Medici. The story goes that the friars created a citrus scent for her, which she took to France when she married the future King Henry II in 1533, and which became known as the Acqua della Regina, the Queen's Water. Some even claim she brought the fashion for perfume to the French court. Legends, perhaps... but they are very Medici legends.
Some of the old recipes have wonderful names. There is the Vinegar of the Seven Thieves, linked to a tale of robbers who protected themselves from the plague while stripping its victims, and there is Alkermes, a crimson liqueur that Tuscan cooks still pour into desserts. The rooms themselves are part of the old convent, including a former chapel, and you can still see where the friars' world met the street.
Think about what this place meant in a city of plague and fevers: a convent turned into a laboratory, with friars as chemists and a duke as its protector. The street outside takes its name from another charity, the medieval hospital of Santa Maria della Scala. Now continue west along Via della Scala, past the high walls of gardens, to the most famous private garden in Renaissance Florence.