Coming down from the Rialto Bridge toward St. Mark’s, along Salizzada Pio X, about 30 meters in, you can spot a golden head high up on the left.
It marks the spot where the oldest and most famous apothecary in Venice once stood: La Testa d’Oro (The Golden Head).
The Theriaca produced by this apothecary was considered the best in Venice, and for this reason, the pharmacy was granted permission to produce the medicine three times a year, instead of just once.
Today, only the golden head remains above to commemorate the place where the pharmacy once stood.
On the wall beneath the head, you can still read an inscription that mentions the Theriaca of Andromachus.
This pharmacy was the only one that continued producing Theriaca until the last century.
A near-magical potion said to cure all diseases was made in Venice under the supervision of the Health Magistrate and was exported throughout Europe and beyond.
In the 1500s, Venice was famous for the quality of its pharmaceutical products, often made using the same spices imported from the East.
The main ingredients of Theriaca, besides opium, included viper venom, believed to rejuvenate the skin. For this reason, production took place once a year during the summer, when vipers were captured.
The medicine had to be prepared publicly: for three days, giant cauldrons were placed outside licensed pharmacies, boiling with ingredients for all to see.
The public was also drawn to the many vipers kept alive in cages until the potion was made.
Out of 100 pharmacies in Venice, only 40 were authorized to produce it.
In Campo Santo Stefano, in front of house number 2800, a stone slab still marks the spot where the cauldron used to be placed.
