The Story Behind i Profumi di Firenze

Florentine perfumer and founder of i Profumi di Firenze, Dr. Giovanni di Massimo discovered Catherine de Medici's secret perfume recipes and other Medici fragrance formulas in 1966 in the aftermath of a devastating flood. That year torrential rains caused the Arno River to overflow into the city’s historical center engulfing it in muddy water.

While sorting through the watery mess, Dr. Massimo found buried deep in his apothecary’s ancient basement a 16th century manuscript containing these secret formulas. Remarkably not only had the document survived this deluge, it remained intact despite all the centuries undetected. Indeed, legend has it that in the Middle Ages, the apothecary had been a renowned purveyor of exotic spices and aromatic elixirs. Later, during the Renaissance, the Medici Palace was just across the square and the Medicis commissioned fragrances from the shop.

From the formulas commissioned by Catherine de Medici, Dr. Massimo chose the most beautiful, recreated it with all-natural essences and named the perfume “Caterina de Medici” in her honor. The other fragrances in the i Profumi di Firenze collection are based on actual Medici formulations discovered in the manuscript or blends favored by the Renaissance nobility that the apothecary had inherited.