Private Museum Tour

Hotel Savoy is offering its guests the incredible opportunity to take a private museum tour of Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella at their historic Via della Scala address. Step inside and prepare to be greeted by glittering chandeliers and gilded 18th-century apothecary cabinets full of wonderfully scented soaps, extraordinary fragrances and pampering skincare, all carefully handmade according to ancient recipes.

The museum tour includes several rooms, each of which reveal something about the history of this iconic Florentine company. The Ancient Apothecary’s Shop, now the Erboristeria, was where the pharmacy’s herbal products were sold. The Green Room, an 18th-century reception room, was the place where the pharmacy’s specialities were served. Clients could come here to sip Alkermes liqueur or Elixir of China, both of which were believed to have medicinal powers. Take a look inside the Sacristy, used since the 17th century as a storage room for distilled waters like Rose water, to admire the stunning walls adorned with Gothic frescoes.