Farmacie: all you need to know about Italian pharmacies (and how they can help you!)

All you need to know about farmacie, Italian pharmacies: what to expect, what they can help with, why and how they differ from the pharmacies you may know at home.

One of the most useful stores and services you will find in Italy is the local farmacie, aka Italian pharmacies.

An Italian pharmacy is a store selling medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, remedies, daily health and beauty supplies and baby essentials.

However, they are also more than just a shop.

While a pharmacist is not a medical doctor, pharmacists are highly trained professionals.

They specialize in the preparation, administration and use of medications and can recommend remedies for minor ailments.

Should their expertise not be sufficient or appropriate, they will quickly direct you toward medical care: this means Italian pharmacies are also a fantastic first port of call should you need an initial opinion on a medical issue.

When traveling in Italy, chances are you will pop into a pharmacy at some stage.

This may be for a small purchase like paracetamol, insect bite cream, diapers, or a minor health concern (hopefully not this last one!)

Depending on where you are from, pharmacies can be similar to wah you have back home or very different.

This is all you need to know about Italian pharmacies: farmacie.

Farmacia – how to say pharmacy in Italian

Farmacia is the Italian word for pharmacy shop or chemist.

• Farmacia is singular = pharmacy. You pronounce it phar-mah- chee-ah

• Farmacie is plural = pharmacies. You pronounce it phar-mah- chee–eh

In both cases, the accent is towards the end of the word on the ee sound.

Farmacia in Italian is a feminine word, and wants the Italian article La/ Le/Una

You can see the word in use in the following sentences:

• Mi scusi, dov’e’ una farmacia qui vicino? Excuse me, where is a pharmacy near here?

• Lo trova in farmacia: you can find it at the pharmacy

Don’t forget, you can find here >>> useful Italian sentences for travel

What is a Farmacia and what can you buy there?

An Italian Farmacia is a pharmacy shop run by a pharmacist, a professional trained specifically in preparing, making and administering medications and remedies.

In an Italian pharmacy, you can find:

• Over-the-counter medication, both branded and generic
• Prescription medications, both branded and generic
• Apothecary remedies
• Supplements
• Basic health supplies such as thermometers, face masks, bandages / plasters, hand gel, etc
• First aid supplies
• Sunscreen etc
• Baby essentials, including diapers / nappies, diaper rash cream, specialized formula etc

Good to know: if you are traveling to Italy with a baby or toddler on formula, pharmacies are where you are most likely to find specialized brands such as allergy-free formula or formula catering to specific needs. Please always check before traveling to Italy that the brand you need is available in the country.

Most pharmacies will also offer:

• Herbal / natural remedies
• Blood pressure checks
• Covid rapid test
• Vaccination services (flu, covid, etc, usually by appointment only, may be subject to being registered with the local health service)
• Para-pharmacy products such as toothbrushes and dental kits, hydrating creams, make-up, shampoo etc, including allergy-friendly products.

Italian pharmacy shops vs pharmacy aisle in the supermarket

As you can see from the list above, some of the items sold by pharmacies are also standard supermarket products: diapers, shampoo, toothbrushes and even suncream are all items you can buy in an Italian supermarket.

However, there are some differences.

First of all, it is good to know that Italian supermarkets do not sell medications of any type.

You must go to the pharmacy if you need any medical item, even paracetamol or a food supplement

Even when you have the same type of items, you usually find different brands.

Supermarkets tend to have items for big distribution and they are usually cheaper and less specialized.

Pharmacies tend to have higher price products, some of which are sold exclusively in pharmacies, and brands that position themselves as para-medical or apothecary in nature.

Often, and maybe unexpectedly, pharmacies also carry natural / herbal remedies that may not be available in supermarkets.

For instance, when I buy insect repellent for kids, I usually go to a Farmacia as I find their products less aggressive on my kids’ skin.

How an Italian Farmacia can help you

Get medications

First and foremost, Italian pharmacies are where you can get medications.

If in need of medications while in Italy, please take into account that:

Brand names will be different: if you have a medication you use regularly at home, make sure you take note of its generic name, strength and dosage

You may need a prescription: what needs a prescription in Italy may differ from what needs a prescription back home.

This is because of national rules and I also because the strength of the same product may be different in different countries.

They won’t sell you antibiotics without a prescription: while you can get basic antibiotic cream over the counter, you will not be given systemic antibiotics in Italy without a prescription.

Double check dosage: the same medication may come in different strength from what you are used to. Make sure you always read the exact dosage and ask the pharmacist if you have any doubts.

Get an opinion

As well as being a shop for medications and remedies, Italian pharmacies can be extremely helpful as a first port of all in case of a sudden and non-emergency medical ailment.

With a medical emergency or anything that resembles one, you should immediately go to the hospital or call 118, the Italian health emergency number and medical service.

However, you can usually find great support in less extreme situations in Italian pharmacies.

A pharmacist can usually identify if the situation is within their expertise or if medical care is required.

If competent on the matter, they can recommend and administer a remedy.

We had help from pharmacists when our son got an infected insect bite or when my daughter needed over the counter eye drops for eye itching or a remedy for stomach pain.

Need to know: a pharmacist is not a pediatrician or a general practitioner. If you are in any doubt about the seriousness of an ailment, see a doctor or head to the hospital. If you don’t now how to source one, ask the pharmacist for a name of check DoctorsinItaly for a directory of English-speaking doctors.

Buy baby products

We also used pharmacies regularly when we needed high-quality baby products.

Pharmacies carry baby essentials such as diapers, baby cream, dummies, teethers, formula, breastfeeding essentials, some weaning products, baby friendly soaps and creams and infant medications.

See also >>> where to buy baby products in Italy.

Get covid tests

Farmacie are also able to administer rapid covid tests.

Some of them offer it as a walk in service, while others require booking.

If you require this service while in Italy, the best way to proceed is to find the most local Farmacia to you and ask how they are set up for testing.

It is a good idea to ask in advance as they may only offer the service during specific hours or days of the week.

Italian pharmacy opening hours

Italian pharmacies are an essential service: they are open during standard shop opening hours and take turns covering after-hours needs and weekends.

Need to know: in Italy, shops, including pharmacies, often take a break in the middle of the day and are likely to be closed at some stage between 12 and 4pm (exact hours vary).

After-hour pharmacies in Italian are called Farmacie di Turno.

If your local pharmacy is closed, they will have a sign on the door with the list of all the nearest farmacie di turno and their contact details.

In bigger cities, you can also find pharmacies open all night long.

The best way to look for these is to search online for ‘farmacie 24h vicino a me‘ or ‘farmacie di turno vicino a me ‘ (pharmacies 24h near me).

How to find an Italian pharmacy

Italian pharmacies are very frequent and you will encounter serval while strolling through Italian towns big and small.

Italian pharmacies all have the same recognizable sign: a green cross, with four arms of the same length, usually lighting up.

They also usually have and a large sign with farmacia written on top.

As well as the cross, the symbol of pharmacies in Italy is a snake coiling about a baton, the ancient symbol of Asclepius, the Greek nd Roman God of Medicine.

The color green is often associated with health and hope and has been defined by law as the one to be used for pharmacies to help the user identify farmacie easily.

This was my overview of pharmacies in Italy! I hope you found it useful and takes away some of the worry should you need anything from an Italian farmacia.

Safe travels!

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