The oldest pharmacy in Europe
A place rich in tradition in the center of Florence
The Old Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella is a fascinating setting created in Florence by the Dominican friars, a locale from the past to see and be enchanted by.
Opened in 1612 by Angiolo Marchissi, the pharmacy is a veritable paradise of medicines, elixirs, beauty creams and perfumes. In its heyday it is said that its wares were exported to India and China, such was the fame it achieved.
Stepping through the stone doorway you will be catapulted into another era, surrounded by the attraction of ancient herbal products, the traditional recipes of the friars and the original methods of preparation: an authentic health workshop to be seen to discover the oldest nuances of Florence.
The pharmacy still features 19th-century furnishings, decorated rooms and areas full of books or furnishings: a museum with vases, machinery and slides that tell the story of pharmaceutical art through the centuries.
Inside the pharmacy you will admire the frescoes by Paolino Sarti and Mariotto di Nardo, located in the different rooms of the Sales Room, Green Room, Ancient Apothecary’s Room, Tea Room and Sacristy.
Here you can shop or simply savor the suggestions that the place evokes.
