Officina Santa Maria Novella — buying soap in a 13th-century frescoed chapel since 1221

Dominican monks began making herbal remedies in 1221. 800 years later, the pharmacy still operates in the same frescoed rooms — Sala Verde (Gothic frescoes), walnut apothecary cabinets, Murano glass jars. Buy artisan perfumes, soaps, rose water in a space that is shop, museum, and chapel simultaneously. Free entry. The Acqua di Colonia recipe dates to 1533 — made for Caterina de' Medici.