The church of Santa Maria della Scalla is located next to the convent of the Discalced Carmelites, and annexed to the church, you can find one of the oldest pharmacies in Rome, known as the pharmacy of the popes: we talk about the Spezieria of Santa Maria della Scala.
From the S XVI, the monks transformed some of the cultivated herbs in the garden of the convent in the Spezieria for their own use. However, it was from the seventeenth century when the pharmacy is open to the public and its role is expanded with research and teaching, which will be taught to both, lay and religious, who wish to know about the art of the pharmacy.
Currently, on the ground floor, customers who look for modern medicines are taken care of, but you can also visit the second floor, which maintains the appearance of XVIII century: the sales room with its counters and cabinets, the wooden shelves on which they find the original containers and tools, the warehouse, the laboratory … an emblematic place where time seems to have stopped.
