Oldest Pharmacy

Florence is world-renowned for its rich cultural heritage, home to Renaissance art, grand architecture, and literary giants like Dante Alighieri. Yet, tucked away in this treasure-filled city lies a lesser-known marvel: the oldest functioning pharmacy in the world.

The Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy was founded in 1221 by a Dominican monk who began cultivating herbs to create medicinal balms, tinctures, and perfumes for their monastery and local patients. Officially opened to the public in 1612, it has since preserved its artisanal methods and ancient recipes.

Today, it is a luxury apothecary and a living museum of botanical wisdom and centuries-old pharmaceutical tradition. Medieval pharmacies, or apothecaries, sold a wide range of natural remedies, compounds, and herbal preparations. Many of these were based on the ancient medical theories of humoralism (balancing bodily fluids) and the writings of classical physicians like Galen, Hippocrates, and Avicenna (Ibn Sina).  

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