Florence, Italy, is widely recognized today for its Renaissance art and architecture, but the city also has a rich and often overlooked legacy in the world of fragrance. Long before France became synonymous with perfume, Florence was a pioneering center for scent-making, where monastic traditions and herbal knowledge laid the foundation for modern perfumery.
The origins of Florence’s perfume heritage date back to the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when scent, medicine, and spirituality were closely intertwined. Monks at the Santa Maria Novella monastery specialized in extracting essences from the flowers and herbs cultivated in their cloisters. In the 16th century, these monks crafted a signature fragrance—Acqua della Regina—for Catherine de Medici as she prepared to marry into French royalty, reportedly intended to shield her from the smells of a less hygienic Paris.
Today, the Santa Maria Novella perfumery remains a landmark attraction, housed in a building once part of the monastery itself. The business passed to private ownership in the 19th century, and in 2021 was acquired by an Italian investment firm. The multiroom shop combines historic ambiance with modern luxury, drawing visitors eager to experience Florence’s aromatic heritage firsthand.
Beyond Santa Maria Novella, Florence is home to a number of artisanal fragrance houses continuing the city’s scent-making traditions. The Villoresi Museum of Perfume, associated with master perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi, offers insight into the craft behind perfumes by highlighting the raw components, rather than finished products. Villoresi, who has designed fragrances for celebrities, emphasizes the deep creativity and storytelling inherent in his work, while noting that many traditional craft industries connected to perfumery—such as glassblowing and leatherwork—have diminished over time.
Other historic establishments, like Farmacia SS Annunziata 1561, trace their roots to the 16th century and today produce house-made perfumes and cosmetics inspired by Florence’s artisanal past. Newer ventures like Aquaflor, founded in 2009 and located in a Renaissance palazzo, continue to develop fragrances and home scents that draw on local botanical influences, including the city’s famed Boboli Gardens.
Not all associations with Florence’s aroma are idyllic. Master perfumer Luca Fisichella, whose Magno Gaudio workshop is near the Pitti Palace, humorously describes the city’s distinctive scent as “steak and urine,” reflecting a more candid, if less glamorous, olfactory impression.
Visitors seeking a personalized experience can also participate in fragrance workshops. Profumoir, co-founded by master perfumer Sileno Cheloni, offers sessions in a Baroque setting where clients select from numerous essences to create bespoke perfumes. One such creation, “Firenze in Ottobre,” combines notes such as neroli, lilac, tobacco, vanilla, and amber, capturing a personal interpretation of Florence’s scent landscape rather than any established symbolic aroma. The process concludes with custom labeling and hand-carved marble bottle stoppers, underscoring the blend of tradition and individual expression that continues to define Florence’s perfumery culture.
Together, these historic and contemporary practices reveal Florence as a city where fragrance remains an art form deeply tied to its heritage, providing visitors an immersive way to engage with its sensory and cultural history.