Walgreens? CVS? Not in Italy. Pharmacies here are different than pharmacies we find in the States. If you are looking for a pharmacy in Italy (and most places in Europe), look for a glowing green cross and “Farmacia” on the side of the city streets. The pharmacies are not commercialized but instead are family-owned businesses. Since pharmacies are individually owned, they have the ability to choose what merchandise and brands to stock. Pharmacies are not open 24 hours like many in the US. In fact, they close from 1:00pm-3:30pm every day for lunch and are not open on weekends or holidays. Pharmacies within close proximity take turns opening on weekends and holidays so services are always available. Additionally, many pharmacies have vending machines located outside. Most of the vending machines are stocked with sexual health products such as condoms, but larger vending machines also contain common OTC medications such as Tylenol.
Today we had the opportunity to visit authentic Italian pharmacies. The majority of the class went to one of the oldest pharmacies in the world! This is located near the train station in Florence. Four other students went to a pharmacy about 20 minutes outside of the city center, near the Florence soccer stadium. We visited this particular pharmacy because it is owned by the wife of Marco (our guide/teacher from our first travel week). She owns the pharmacy with other members of her family, and she is also a pharmacist. We had the opportunity to ask her questions about her profession. We learned that some Italian pharmacists have the ability to prescribe medications to customers and give treatment recommendations. One aspect of the pharmacy that we found interesting was that there were nine pharmacists working at one time! This is almost unheard of in the States. I think it is safe to say we all enjoyed our experiences today learning about an integral part of healthcare systems.
[This post was composed by Sarah Kincade, a Junior studying Nursing]