farmacia di santa maria novella

August 8, 2010
when i lived in italy, i lived about 30 seconds away from the oldest pharmacy in florence and one of the oldest in the world. there are documents from 1381 that tell us that dominican monks used to cultivate herbs and plants in their garden and then use them to make remedies. today, the "pharmacy" sells perfumes and herb mixes, especially kinds from flowers. the pharmacy is so fragrant that you can smell the perfume just walking by the door outside. while i don't think i'd ever come here for prescriptions, it is pretty cool to visit such a historic and extravagently decorated pharmacy on a little street in the santa maria novella neighborhood.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tour!I'll sure visit it next summer when I'll go to Italy!Looks really vintage and somehow I feel awe looking at the 3rd picture!

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  2. During my time in Florence I went into a pharmacy not unlike this one...they are so beautiful and extravagant, I had never seen anything like it. The one I went into was surrounded by crystals and light, chandeliers and fancy bottles. I, unfortunately, needed a prescription. The ladies who were behind the counter were gracious and so helpful, considering I didn't speak Italian. This one you speak of sounds SO fascinating, especially the fact that they have documents from the 1300's!

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