Need a throat lozenge? How about some pasticche whose original formula dates from 1612? Or Catherine de' Medici's favorite perfume? You can find them in Florence in one special place: The Officina ...

Dominican friars arrived in Florence to build a monastery outside the city gate. They began studying and experimenting with the medicinal properties of herbs grown in their gardens in order to prepare ...

FLORENCE, Italy — It always helps to call on some divine intervention — for the way we look, smell and feel. Divine intervention, coupled with the human touch, is perhaps the secret to the success of ...

Wafts of perfume thrill visitors as soon as they set foot in the frescoed halls of the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy in Florence, Italy, a perfumer to poets, film stars and noblewomen through the ages.

Among Florence's churches, Santa Maria Novella is often overlooked: it lacks the grandeur of the Duomo and the poignancy of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo and Galileo are entombed. And while its ...

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella has endured the rise and fall of various kingdoms, two World Wars, every pandemic from the Black Death to Covid, and countless other historical ...

If you’re passing through Florence on vacation, this has to be an obligatory stop. The perfume workshop was established in 1200 for the sale of herbal medicine. In 1600 the pharmacy was opened and ...

It was originally used to create balms, pomades and other medications (from herbs grown in the monastic gardens) for the monks in residence, but by the early 17th century its reputation for quality ...