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Inside, the scent of rose and aged wood mingles with frescoed ceilings, marble floors, and centuries-old cabinets, creating an atmosphere that feels suspended between monastery and palace.
Founded in 1221 by Dominican friars, the apothecary began as a humble garden where medicinal herbs and flowers were cultivated to create herbal remedies, balms, and scented waters for the sick using medicinal plants grown in the monastery.
These preparations were stored in simple glass apothecary vessels. Earlier bottles were often made of frosted glass with gold stoppers and are especially valued by collectors for their classic look. Over the centuries, Santa Maria Novella preserved the look of traditional apothecary glass bottle adorned with traditional labels and gold accents to honor its Renaissance heritage.
SANTA
MARIA NOVELLA
The story of the world's oldest apothecary
and one of the best kept secrets of the Renaissance city.
Behind one of the grandest frescoed monasteries in Florence, an unassuming façade conceals one of the most ornate and ancient perfumeries in the world founded in 1221.
Santa Maria Novella honors the same values after more than 800 years, reminding us that the finest creations are not defined by novelty, but by longevity. Its story is one of patience, craftsmanship, and respect for materials, qualities that resonate far beyond the world of fragrance.
More than eight centuries later, it remains the world's oldest continuously operating apothecary.
As Florence blossomed during the Renaissance, so too did the reputation of Santa Maria Novella. Its most enduring story tells of Caterina de' Medici, who is said to have commissioned a signature fragrance before leaving Florence to marry the future King Henry II of France. That perfume, Acqua della Regina, is still crafted today, carrying with it the bright citrus and delicate florals that once traveled from Italy to the French court. Whether legend or history, the tale speaks to the quiet influence of Florentine artisans, whose work shaped European culture not through grandeur, but through beauty, skill, and devotion to their craft.
PERI
Tuscany has its own distinct glass tradition deeply rooted in craft, quieter than Murano's. Dating back to the 12th century, the first glass pieces of Tuscany were carafes, apothecary vessels and perfume bottles that supplied the Florentine market for centuries. Italian glass perfume bottles have a history through the Renaissance where glassmakers dominated, producing bottles for European courts that were as much of a collectible object as container.
The Peri collection recalls an Florentine apothecary vessel, the way an old perfume bottle holds its stopper. Inspired by the story of the world's oldest apothecary and one of the best kept secrets of the Renaissance city.