Two Days Exploring

The past two days have led to some fabulous adventuring with my mom. Though we have not yet exhausted all of the tourist attractions in this city, I've been feeling a bit under-the-weather and not so inclined to spend the day bumping into and battling with other tourists. The weather outside has been less than perfect, so our daily excursions have taken place when we look outside and say "quick! let's go before it rains again!" i must get a real pair of rain boots back in London (also..any tips on where would be fab).

Yesterday we decided to visit the famous Officina Profuma-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. They are a legendary pharmacy and parfumerie, started in, get this, the year 1221 by monks. They grew herbs in their gardens to make medicines and herbal remedies. The building where the Officina resides today was established in 1612. Can you imagine? I was incredibly psyched to go.

I walked into the building--even the entryway was grand. I've visited a lot of castles and manor homes in Britain, but nothing compared to the magic of this place. It doesn't feel like a museum, it feels like stepping back in time. For one, as you enter the building you can smell the perfumes, soaps, and candles. You can also smell the lavender and honey--it's a bit overwhelming. It was softly lit in the main room with incandescent light, and I could have easily been in an apothecary in Harry Potter. Vials and vases filled with beautiful amber liquids lined the shelves--they glowed in the light of the room and towered high to the ceiling. It had the hushed atmosphere of a chapel...or very expensive spa. Their lists of products were printed beautifully on parchment-like stationary in four languages. Eau de Colognes, Pure Essences, Liquers, Oils, Tea, Soaps, Shampoos, Pot-Pourri, Creams, Lotions, in Vanilla, Camomile, Seaweed, Witch Hazel, Lavender, Iris, Pomedgranate, Sweet Almond, and so much more. 

Just look at the beauty of this place.

                               

And yes, everything was pricey, but they had some teas there that looked so amazing and were beautifully packaged. I couldn't resist...

 I only wish I wasn't allergic to perfumes and scented lotions, otherwise this place would be my home. I mean, I wish I could have stayed there all day. You can check out their website here.

(btdubs...for those Gossip Girl fans--just found out that the Officina Profuma-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella was mentioned on last night's episode.)

After that we were on our way back to Rivoire for another hot chocolate, but stumbled upon an amazing chocolate shop that was too good to pass up...

We each tried two different chocolates. The ones with champagne in the middle were amazing. The lady who worked there was incredibly sweet and had amazing earrings on. Also, when we left she let me sample one of the gelato-filled truffles for free...raspberry deliciousness.

They also sell plain bars of chocolate, bags of treats, and novelties like a chocolate hammer for your Father's Day gift. You can view their website is here.

So that was just day one. Day two (today) was also fantastic. My mother has friends here in Italy that she made when she lived here in the 80s. We met with them this morning at La Via del Te, one of the oldest tea shops in Florence. I haven't seen them since I was 6 years old, it was a very relaxing morning, although we were drenched on the way over in torrential rain (boots! you are soaked now...). I had English Breakfast but my mother was more adventurous and tried an infusion with Orange, Cinnamon, and Vanilla. 

After that we traveled over to a small boutique store that my mother had been to before. It had a beautiful handbag she wanted, and a very nice British expat worked there and we had a lovely conversation.

Then I saw it.

The most gorgeous scarf hanging around a handbag on a pedestal. It was silky and sheer, but caught my eye with the spots of gold woven through it. Red, black, white, grey, purple, and yellow don't seem to go together when you think about them. But this...

And then I looked at the tag. Genuine Missoni. No wonder the print was so fab. I'm not usually a lover of Missoni knits (though I do have one knockoff dress from Target...) and prints. The silk scarves, for the most part, make me go..."eh." But this scarf was different. This scarf was special.

Thank you Mom! Feeling very spoiled right now, I leave you. This will be my last post from Florence. My time here draws to a close on Friday and I go back to...I guess what you would call real life. now London is real life. Though that does sound glamorous, I do have a lot of business to take care of. 

 As a person who thrives on work, I am trying desperately to make myself useful again. The end of a wonderful vacation, now down to business....

xoxo,

Antonia