Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella: 800 years of art and perfume

Until January 26, 2026, the Officina will host David Hockney's contemporary Annunciation, in an ideal dialogue with Beato Angelico's masterpiece.

The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, the oldest pharmacy in the world with over 800 years of history, meets contemporary art this year at the Beato Angelico exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi and the Museo di San Marco.

The history of the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence

Founded in 1221 by Dominican friars, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella began as an apothecary dedicated to the preparation of essences, elixirs, and ointments using medicinal plants grown in the convent's garden. The original formulas, preserved in the friars' manuscripts, have survived to this day, keeping alive an artisan tradition that blends history, science, and Florentine culture.

Located in the heart of Florence, inside the convent complex of Santa Maria Novella, the Officina is now one of the oldest commercial establishments in the world, a symbol of excellence and authenticity.

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

Iconic fragrances: from Acqua della Regina to Giardini dei Medici

Among the most famous creations is Acqua della Regina, the fragrance created in 1533 for Caterina de' Medici by perfumer Renato Bianco. It is accompanied by the recent Eau de Parfum Giardini dei Medici collection, eight fragrances inspired by Florentine Renaissance gardens, which tell the story of the city through a contemporary olfactory language.

Rosa Gardenia, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

Visit the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

Today, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is located in a truly monumental setting. It has become a place where time seems to stand still, where fragrances fill the air and envelop visitors with intense, unforgettable notes. Here, not only perfumes are produced, but also creams and products for the face and hair, in keeping with a tradition that combines ancient knowledge and innovation.

A true Florentine institution, which has evolved elegantly over time while remaining faithful to its priceless history. L'Officina continues to pursue an ideal of quality, craftsmanship, and sustainability, pillars that still guide its philosophy today.

The beating heart of the Officina is the sales room, once one of the chapels of the convent dedicated to St. Nicola di Bari, a gift of gratitude from Dardano Acciaioli to the Dominican friars. In 1848, given the growing popularity of the pharmacy, a major renovation was carried out to expand the space, dividing the room into a sales area and a warehouse. Today, the products are displayed in neo-Gothic walnut cabinets, framed by frescoes on the vaulted ceiling by Paolino Sarti, depicting the four continents to symbolize the worldwide fame of the Officina and its creations.

Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

Continuing the tour, you will encounter the Green Room and the Old Apothecary Room, now a herbalist's shop, characterized by rich 18th-century stucco decorations: fantastic animals, sphinxes, dragons, golden eagles, masks, garlands of fruit and roses, motifs dear to the ornamental repertoire of the time.

The same complex also houses the Officina museum, which is located in the old production workshops and offers a fascinating journey through the history, art, and science of perfumery.

David Hockney in Florence: Annunciation II After Fra Angelico at the Officina di Santa Maria Novella

Until January 25, 2026, the monumental spaces of the Officina in Via della Scala 16 in Florence will host the extraordinary work of British master David Hockney (Bradford, 1937). The work Annunciation II, After Fra Angelico, on display in the sacristy painted by Mariotto di Nardo inside the historic headquarters of the Officina and visible free of charge, is a large painting over two meters wide that reinterprets in a contemporary key the famous Annunciation by Beato Angelico (ca. 1440), painted in the Dominican convent of San Marco in Florence.

David Hockney "Annunciation II, after Fra Angelico" da "The Brass Tacks Triptych", 2017 (© David Hockney - Loan courtesy of the artist)

Hockney applies his unmistakable style and his research into visual perception to reimagine the scene in reverse perspective, overturning the traditional Renaissance viewpoint. The artist himself has said that he first encountered Beato Angelico's work as a child, thanks to a poster of the Annunciation hanging in the hallway of his elementary school: an image that has marked his gaze throughout his life. The result is a bold and poetic reinterpretation, both homage and challenge: a tribute to Angelico's subject and, at the same time, a reflection on the representation of space and the spirituality of the image.

The collaboration between David Hockney and Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella has become a powerful symbol of dialogue between art and craftsmanship, between the Renaissance and the contemporary world.