My best friend from college spent a semester studying abroad in Firenze.  Lucky for me, she returned bearing a gift of three Santa Maria Novella soaps, each beautifully wrapped in the SMN’s embellished boxes and wrappings.

For the past seven years, these soaps have been on display in the various apartments in which I have lived.  I thought they were too pretty to use.  Recently, however, I was faced with the predicament of either using the SMN soap or my husband’s earthier drugstore soap.  I decided I had waited long enough to enjoy the SMN soaps.  I reasoned that since there’s a SMN outpost in NYC, I could replace the bars if I wished.  I started with an almost spicy scented bar, which I found fragrant and decadent.  When that bar disappeared, I moved onto Santa Maria Novella’s olive oil bar.  I could use this soap every day for the rest of my life.  The scent is subtly alluring and the texture of the soap is creamy.  Using this soap elevates my shower experience.

SMN has a history as rich as the quality of its product.  Founded in Florence by the Dominican Friars in 1221, and later opening as a pharmacy sponsored by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, SMN credited with creating the first “Eau de Cologne.”

At $25 a bar, this soap truly is a luxury.  But we’ll see how long my gifted bar lasts.  Don’t be surprised if I’m soon hopping a downtown train to Soho for another one.