Often not found in guidebooks, Florence has a fragrant little treasure tucked away through a non-assuming door way near the main train station. Take a minute out of your day and stop by one of the oldest pharmacies in the world.
You probably arrived in Florence by train or bus so finding the main train station Santa Maria Novella shouldn’t be too hard. Exit out the front doors towards the grassy area outside the large Ticket Office. Right across the street and past all those tents where cheap luggage is for sale, is a Dominican Church, Santa Maria Novella. Head down the side of the church and make your way around to the front and into the piazza. This piazza by the way, which might still be under constructio
n, has two obelisks at either end. Until the end of the 19th Century chariot races were held here for the amusement of local Florentines. Soon, this square will have a fresh new look complete with new fountains, lighting and street furniture.
At the end of the Piazza, opposite the church, make a right onto Via della Scala. Not far down the street at number 16 on your right side you’ll arrive at a relatively out of place stone archway. This is the entrance to the Officina Profumo-farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which is actually what it says above the door.
Push open the large wooden door and make your way down the hall. You’ll probably notice a strong scent of perfume. No, nobody spilled anything; it’s just about 400 years of elixirs, ointments and soaps prepared from distilled flowers and herbs that have given the place a distinct smell. And of course, things probably do get spilled from time to time.
The history of the Officina dates back to around 1380 when Dominican friars began selling distilled botanicals such as rose-water as a disinfectant during the Plague. The friars would grow plants that they believed to have medicinal qualities in a nearby garden; mix, melt, distill and boil them together forming various potions. As the years passed the friars business grew and by 1612 the office you are standing in began to take shape out of a chapel and private residences in the monastery. The Florentine Dominican’s products began to gain fame not only in Italy but throughout the world even becoming the official suppliers to the Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando II. Then in 1866 the Dominicans sold the pharmacy to Cesare Augusto Stefani whose descendants run the Officina to this day. Take your time and wander around each of the three rooms.
The first room you entered is the sales room and was once one of the monastery’s most beautiful chapels. Look up and take in the preserved frescoes on the Gothic, ribbed vaulted ceiling. A peek into the display case on your right reveals photos from a 1966 Flood that reached a devastating level right where you’re standing. The other cupboards are full of colorful products for sale as well as old and ornate vessels. Feel free to wander the adjacent rooms which at various times served as the laboratory and original sales room.
As you tour the Officina look around in the walnut display cases along the walls. You’ll see some of the tools of the trade as well as some products that date back 100’s of years. If you’re interested in seeing the variety of products sold or perhaps want to pick up a little something packaged with the distinct label of the pharmacy, grab a list of products from the room furthest back. As you’ll see the offerings are immense, varied and maybe a bit pricey. Still, where else can you buy an all natural hand lotion made from a 300 year old recipe and an elixir that cures acne? If nothing else the list of products, printed on high quality paper, could make a nice and free souvenir to frame in your home.
