My last days in Italy was spent in beautiful Florence, the City of Lilies. My favorite place to visit was a beautiful church that home one of the world’s oldest pharmacies, Santa Maria Novella.

Dominican monks began concocting herbal remedies there in the 13th century and today the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella still sells traditional elixirs, along with more contemporary skin-care products, oils and perfumes. I left with a bag full of herbal remedies, among others their famous rose water distillate, an essence that back in the day used to be prescribed as an antiseptic to clean houses after an outbreak of plague.

Another favorite thing was the very artistic cappuccinos I enjoyed almost daily. And when meeting up with a couple of my sweet nieces who was in town they brought me to the most unbelievable gelato place, Gelateria La Carraia. It is supposedly “the best” gelateria in town and the long line way out the door confirmed it :). We also had so much fun touristing around Firenze watching amazing architecture and visiting the Dome and Pitti Palace.

In the evenings we enjoyed  practicing “dolce far niente”(the sweetness of doing nothing) just hanging out on the bridges over the Arno River and listening to music at the public square Palazzo della Signoria while watching Michelangelo’s statue of David. A beautiful city with so much more to see and do. I will be back, loved Firenze!