Few cities wear their heritage as gracefully as Florence, and nowhere is it more evident than in its perfumeries. Here, scent is a craft handed down through monasteries, pharmacies and family workshops, and a morning spent among them is one of the most rewarding ways to understand the city.
Santa Maria Novella, Where It Began
Begin at the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, entered from Via della Scala. The house traces its roots to the Dominican friars of the church of the same name, who cultivated medicinal herbs from the 13th century, and its founding is dated to 1612. Documents record sales of its rose water as early as 1381. Today the frescoed rooms function as both boutique and museum, with antique apothecary jars and historic furniture setting the tone. Allow time to linger, and ask the staff about the house’s long-standing fragrances, soaps and rose-based preparations.
An Atelier Near Ponte Vecchio
Across the river, at Via de’ Bardi 12, Lorenzo Villoresi has composed fragrances since 1990. His atelier is known for perfumes tailored to the individual, drawing on spices, resins and essences inspired by ancient cultures and the Middle East. The house also creates home collections, and its hexagonal bottle has become a quiet signature. A visit by appointment is the most rewarding way to explore, and the opening hours listed by the house run Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00, as of this writing.
Palazzo Larderel and Beyond
Stroll along Via de’ Tornabuoni, Florence’s most elegant shopping street, to L’Officina de’ Tornabuoni at number 19, set within Palazzo Larderel. The shop inherits the herbarium and formulas of an English and American pharmacy founded by Henry Roberts in 1843, and its antique cabinetry makes browsing a pleasure. For a more intimate stop, Aquaflor, in Borgo Santa Croce, offers custom fragrances for people and homes among shelves of hundreds of essences, guided by master perfumer Sileno Cheloni.
A Milan Postscript
Continuing north, Milan offers its own elegant chapter. Acqua di Parma, born in Parma in 1916 with its signature Colonia, opened its first boutique on Via del Gesù in 1998, in the heart of the Quadrilatero della moda. It makes a graceful finale for a journey devoted to Italian fragrance.
How to Go
The old center of Florence is compact and best explored on foot, so a single unhurried day can include all four Florentine addresses. Begin early, pause for coffee near Santa Croce, and leave the late afternoon for a walk across Ponte Vecchio with a new scent in hand. Opening hours change seasonally, so confirm them before you set out.
Consider keeping a small notebook as you go. Noting which accords you return to, whether the green freshness of citrus, the warmth of amber or the soft powder of iris, makes it far easier to choose a signature scent, or to commission a bespoke one, before the day is through.
