Santa Maria Novella Fragrances

Dominican monks founded a monastic pharmacy in Florence's Piazza Santa Maria Novella in 1221. There they produced ointments, medicines, tinctures and fragrant treasures with medicinal herbs that they cultivated in their gardens. At first they produced only for their own use, but gradually the doors opened to the public. The famous eau de cologne "Eau de la Reine" was created within these monastic walls in 1612 and is still available today under the name Classica. The Farmacia Santa Maria Novella still maintains the traditional production methods and is famous far beyond the country's borders.