“If Italy, as the poets sing, is comparable to a beautiful woman, then Florence is the bouquet at her heart.” This is how Heinrich Heine once rhapsodized about Italy’s open-air museum, undoubtedly a “Grande Dame” in the Mediterranean’s favorite country.
Food, fashion, art, and culture — Italy is truly a multi-talented hub of style and pleasure. Florence plays a unique role in this mix. In the Middle Ages, thanks to one of the country’s most influential dynasties, banking flourished here. The Medici family produced not only significant bankers but also grand dukes, popes, and two queens of France. One of them, Caterina de’ Medici, was married to King Henri II. A special Eau de Cologne was even created for her. The “Acqua di S.M.Novella” from one of Italy’s oldest cosmetic brands originates from the laboratories of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella and remains a bestseller.
