Famous French perfumer Francis Kurkdjian once said that, “Perfume is the art that makes memory speak,” and it is certainly true that a fragrance can instantaneously conjure the most incredibly vivid memories. Here at Tuscany Villas, we’re all about memories or, rather, helping you find your dream Tuscany villa so that you can plan a perfect holiday and make wonderful memories of quality time spent enjoying a new place with the ones you love. We want these memories to last a lifetime and to be something brought up fondly over meals and at gatherings for years and years to come. One way to help preserve these precious moments of excitement, leisure, and relaxation and to be able to tap into them whenever you want is to connect them to a particular scent so, for those of our customers who are looking for a luxury villa in Florence and are planning on spending time in the famous artistic capital, we highly recommend a visit to the fragrant Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella and the equally wonderful olfactory experience that is the Museo Villoresi. Discover the perfect holiday in Florence and the perfect scent for you while you’re there to remember your trip by forever more...
Florence is a city where traditional crafts are still alive and well and one of the most interesting among the crafts for which it was known is the creating of famous perfumes. The most fashionable ladies and gentlemen, and even queens, from across Europe looked to the city for their scents for centuries and both those same fragrances and much more modern innovations can be sampled and purchased in various shops and spots around Florence to this very day. The famous Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, founded all the way back in 1612, can trace its very beginnings as a seed of an idea right back to the Middle Ages, when the friars of Santa Maria began cultivating medicinal herbs and selling medications, balms, and ointments made from these ingredients. By the 14th century, they had already begun selling some perfumes and in the 16th century they made the Acqua della Regina (Queen’s Water) for Caterina de’ Medici’s wedding to Henry II of France. A queen for a patron was very good for business, as one might imagine, and this cemented their reputation as some of the most fashionable perfumers in all of Europe. They were then established as pretty much the same version of the business and shop that exists to this day by the 17th century and they continue to sell various historic scents (including Caterina’s perfume) and newer products in tandem with each other. Visiting this magical apothecary on via della Scala in the historic centre of Florence, that seems truly frozen in time with its rich wood-panelled interiors, painted ceilings, and endless bottles on display in glass cases, and sampling the scents is a truly unique and special experience. Those who are really interested in the institution and its history and practices can also visit the garden where the ingredients are still carefully cultivated a good deal further out of town, next to Villa Medicea di Petraia. Just email them in advance at visiteofficina@smnovella.com to arrange a visit while on vacation in Florence and then head to via della Petraia 38 to learn more about the whole process that goes into creating the Officina’s famous fragrances.
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Via della Scala, 16, 50123 – Firenze
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm.
Museo Villoresi, meanwhile, is a much more recent addition to the city’s olfactory scene but still builds on the traditions of perfume-making in Florence. The museum of the beloved perfume brand by Lorenzo Villoresi, it traces its origins to 1990, when Villoresi made his passion into his career and went on to win worldwide acclaim and multiple awards. Based out of his laboratory on via dei Bardi, in front of the Ponte Vecchio, fragrance lovers from all over come to him to create personalised scents and to experience the museum in his workshop. This is where you can find Osmorama, a library of smells with a great collection of aromatic ingredients from all across the globe. The museum is also a place to learn about how perfumes are made, raw materials, the history, myths, and legends connected to perfume, and more through multimedia exhibits and tools such as special olfactory booths, a unique database, an interactive map, original films, and more. In addition to the indoor spaces of the museum, there is a garden and terrace where more than 80 plants used to obtain essences from all over the world are grown and where visitors can directly experience the scents that come from their blooms, leaves, rinds, and berries. This collection includes citrus plants such as bergamot, lemon, tangerine, the unusual Citrus Hystrix, and Yuzu, known as the Japanese orange as well as roses, gardenia, jasmine, Olea Fragrans, Osmanthus, Frangipane, Vetiver, Patchouli, and many other fragrant plants. This carefully restored and lovely Renaissance palazzo, finally, is also home to the beautiful Lorenzo Villoresi boutique with its bright and elegant interiors, frescoes, and endless selection of incredible scents through which skilled members of staff can expertly guide you. All in all, a visit to this perfume hub is a true must for serious fragrance-lovers who have found a villa with pool in Florence and are spending time exploring the key olfactory experiences of the city. Please note, while visits to the boutique are available throughout the opening hours, visits to the museum must be arranged and booked in advance as a guide is required to bring visitors through the exhibits. Please do get in touch if you want to secure a place by emailing them at info@lorenzovilloresi.it or calling +39 055 2341187.
Lorenzo Villoresi
Via de' Bardi 12 - Firenze
Boutique opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm.
Museum opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10.30am to 4.30pm (upon reservation).
So, if you love fragrances and want to enjoy some fascinating perfume experiences then choose a villa in Florence or if you are already planning a vacation in Florence and you’re looking for some unique olfactory activities to enjoy to firmly plant your wonderful holiday in your memories forever and to bring a little bottle of potent memories home with you, then be sure to check these two wonderful institutions out while in this fragrant part of Tuscany!