Walking through the streets of Florence, you can find whiffs of freshly strung spaghetti or a hearty Pomodoro sauce, but only recently did I learn that the perfume scents we lather ourselves in every day have their roots in Florence.
Though the Egyptians are credited with the idea of perfume, and France is thought of as the epicenter of perfumeries, several apothecaries have flourished in Florence since the 14th century. Visitors can learn more about Florence’s scented history through perfume tours and experiences or even by visiting a few perfumeries across town. I explored three of these store across Florence to learn more about the art and history of Florentine perfumes. In doing so, I found it difficult to walk past a street or piazza without coming across a quaint perfumery.
Farmacia SS. Annunziata opened in 1561 and holds much of Florence’s perfume history. All fragrances are developed in the back of the pharmacy, located near the Duomo at Via sei Servi, 80r. The store dates back to the creation of the Florence art guild Arti Maggiori, which preserved perfume creation and other related arts during the 12th and 13th centuries. Guilds allowed different industries to grow financially during the Middle Ages through building their own professional organizations, according to the pharmacy. The guild’s symbol even influenced the crest seen on the pharmacy’s store front.
According to its website, the pharmacy’s “antique methods involved making products by hand with palette knives and pestles.” Many of the same products have been developed for decades, but only last winter did the pharmacy begin developing home fragrances, the store clerk said. Upon entering the store you cannot help but go around to each wall and test the different colognes and delicate bottles of perfume.
The second oldest perfumery of my tour, Antica Erboristeria San Simone, was unique due to its perfume experiences for Florence visitors. Guests can choose to make their own perfume or reed diffuser, and through the workshop, they can learn the history of perfumes and the methods used in Antica Erboristeria San Simone. For 70 euros, this workshop would be an unique experience for each participant to learn about a small part of Florence’s long history.
The shop focuses on the ingredients used in its perfume process by placing sticks of cinnamon and herb leaves around the tables. My favorite part of this store was the tiny, colorful, hand-painted bottles of perfume. It combined the arts of painting and perfumery perfectly, as no two bottles were the same.
The perfumery’s developer, Dr. Fernanda Russo, is a chemist and herbalist who uses her scientific knowledge to combine essential oils, herbs and flowers into environmentally safe cosmetics and perfumes for her customers, according to the perfumery’s website.
In the Santa Croce neighborhood, the expansive AcuaFlor Firenze offered, in my opinion, the most luxurious perfume experience of the three perfumeries. Its three rooms each carry a different focus: perfumes, soaps and room fragrances. Leather couches are gathered in the center of the entry to create a friendly living room to enjoy the fragrant walls lined with small bottles of perfume. Massive tables hold vats of perfume and droppers to test the fragrances. Employees, clothed in black aprons, scurry around the apothecary sourcing the perfect scent for each customer.
The second room boasts an oversized table stacked with rainbows of soaps. Each stack of bars is labeled in careful calligraphy with its Italian scent, as shown below. With nearly 20 different scents it’s hard to walk out empty handed.
The third room houses the register and another wooden table framed with massive glass vases with reed diffusers to scent customer’s homes. Finally in the back, glass doors lead to a garden courtyard with a fountain to add to the serene space. Even the storefront engages passing-by tourists to enter its store.
The perfumery, located at Borgo Santa Croce, 6, provides customizable gifts to bring to friends and family at home. Black boxes tied with satin bows fit four individual soaps that you can mix and match to your liking for 15 euros. Other gift boxes include matching scents of perfume, soaps and home fragrances, each providing a more luxurious aromatic experience. Individual bars or discs of soap can be carried home in black velvet bags.
AcuaFlor Firenze is relatively new on the perfume scene of Florence, but what it lacks in age it brings in old world charm. It’s website says, “profumo è usato come una purificazione, un canale che porta al divino,” which roughly translates to “perfume is used for purification, a channel for the divine.” The luxuriousness of the shop certainly proves this true.
Through visiting different perfumeries throughout Florence, something I would never consider doing back home, I learned how much work each of the perfumeries dedicates to their art. Walking through the shops and smelling all the beautiful perfumes was therapeutic and was a great break from all of the street hustle outside.