Catherine de’Medici loved perfumes: for her the famous perfume known as “The Queen’s water” was created by the friars of Santa Maria Novella; the perfume was made of essences of citrus fruit, with a predominance of calabrese bergamot. When Catherine leaved Florence in order to go to France and marry the future King of France Henry II, she decide to travel with her personal Master Perfumer, and she introduced the fashion of perfumes in France. What was the old “spezieria” (old apothecary shop) is still alive, transformed nowadays in Officina Profumo Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella, and it still occupy some rooms that were part of the dominican monastery. Let’s discover with us the magnificent Church of Santa Maria Novella, its remarkable frescos and the history of perfume in the pharmacy. The rooms of the Pharmacy, richly decorated and furnished, will be a pleasant surprise not just for your smell, but even for your sight.
