S.M. Novella Pharmacy is named as a pharmacy, but it's actually a perfumery house, it used to be a church and the friars there were the first to brew perfumed waters, and it has been continued on. Now it is owned by a private family. It is famous for the fresh ingredients and herbal essences, they also still sell these very low alcohol drinks said to be with healing or healthy properties.
The whole place is infused with perfume, it becomes hard to identify a single essence when there's so much other smells around you that smell just as good. And unfortunately, despite my love for perfume and my hobby of collecting perfume bottles, my head started to ache after around 30 mins in there....
The place still has the old traces of the flood back in 1966 that ruined so many workshops and studios back then. San Frediano, where I am living now used to be the most important craftsmanship area, it still has many little shops and workshops, but no more the concentration it used to be.
On Tuesday, we were lucky to be invited to 2 of the 9 Frescobaldi family estates, Castello di Pomino and Castello di Nipozzano. I'm a little confused now about which we went first, but I do remember that Pomino is the one that produces their one and only sweet wine VinSanto di Pomino, which I bought a bottle for 21 something euros. In case you don't know, I LOVE SWEET WINE! Which makes me less of a great wine taster, I just love desert wine too much. Now, this VinSanto has to be dried for a very long time and then matured for 4 to 5 years in oak casks. The temperature isn't controlled as you would have for reds and whites, everything is more natural. But the downside is that when after the 5 years, you never know what you will get, since you never ever open the casks to check , you are putting yourself at a great risk. And also hence why the higher value.
The vintage planted by Prince Charles himself.
Collaboration bottle with Gianfranco Ferre.
Every family members gets wine bottled in the year that they are born, girls are 100 and boys 300, they are free to be used for whatever special occasions they might see fit. The newest member was from 2008, the bottles still look brand new, but here are some of the oldest in the family, held in a special cell.
The two estates are both extremely beautiful, and we had a beautiful weather that day, following the tour was wine tasting :) Just so you know, if you do get the chance to visit some day, they also sell their own cheese, olive oil and honey, also great.
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