If you happen to feel unwell while traveling in Italy, your first stop is probably going to be a pharmacy: look for a glowing green cross, head to the counter, explain your symptoms, and most of the time you’ll walk out with something that gets you back to sightseeing in no time. And if things seem more serious, the pharmacist can also provide some practical guidance to get medical help.
That said, you’ll need a little Italian to explain what’s going on. Sure, Google Translate is always a godsend, but knowing a few key words and phrases will make you feel way more confident when you approach the pharmacist and try to describe your problem.
By the way, Italy has a surprisingly long pharmacy tradition. The world’s oldest pharmacy is right in Florence and dates back to 1221! It’s the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which was originally a convent where Dominican friars grew herbs to prepare medicinal remedies.
Now, back to our guide: where do we begin with the essential Italian vocabulary for your pharmacy visit?
First, let’s find the pharmacy!
Before you can ask for anything, you’ll need to locate the pharmacy. Here are some handy phrases you can memorize to get pointed in the right direction:
- C’è una farmacia qui vicino?
Is there a pharmacy nearby? - A che ora apre / chiude la farmacia?
What time does the pharmacy open / close? - Qual è la farmacia di guardia?
Which pharmacy is on duty?
Note: In bigger cities you might find a few 24-hour pharmacies, but in smaller towns and villages they usually follow standard opening hours. So, if you suddenly need medicine outside those times, you’ll have to look for the farmacia di guardia, the one on duty after hours. The store will appear closed, and you’ll need to ring the little doorbell outside to get a pharmacist to assist you.
A quick example dialogue:
A: Scusi, c’è una farmacia qui vicino?
Excuse me, is there a pharmacy nearby?
B: Sì, ma adesso è chiusa.
Yes, but it’s closed right now.
A: Qual è la farmacia di guardia?
Which pharmacy is on duty?
B: Quella in Via Dante, a cinque minuti da qui. Deve suonare il campanello fuori.
The one on Via Dante, five minutes from here. You’ll need to ring the bell outside.
A: Perfetto, grazie mille!
Perfect, thank you so much!
B: Di niente!
You’re welcome!
Time to review body parts in Italian
Pain and discomfort can hit anywhere, like that mysterious muscle you didn’t even know existed until this morning! But for most pharmacy situations, you usually only need to know the usual suspects:
- Il collo: neck
- La testa: head
- L’occhio: eye
- L’orecchio: ear
- Il naso: nose
- La bocca: mouth
- Il dente: tooth
- La gola: throat
- Lo stomaco: stomach
- La schiena: back
- Il braccio: arm
- Il gomito: elbow
- La mano: hand
- La gamba: leg
- Il ginocchio: knee
- Il piede: foot
- I muscoli: muscles
- La pelle: skin
Here’s a simple formula to tell the pharmacist where it hurts:
Mi fa male + body part (singular)
My [body part] hurts.
- Mi fa male l’orecchio.(My ear hurts.)
- Mi fa male il braccio sinistro.(My left arm hurts.)
- Mi fa male il collo, non riesco a muoverlo. (My neck hurts, I can’t move it.)
Mi fanno male + body parts (plural)
My [body parts] hurts.
- Mi fanno male le gambe. (My legs hurt.)
- Mi fanno male gli occhi, sono secchi e bruciano. (My eyes hurt, they are dry and burning.)
- Mi fanno male i muscoli qui dietro. (My muscles hurt back here.)
Now, let’s learn common symptoms in Italian
To help the pharmacist understand what’s wrong and recommend the right medication, here’s a list of common ailments you might experience:
- Il mal di stomaco: stomach ache
- Il mal di testa: headache
- Il mal di gola: sorethroat
- Il naso chiuso: stuffy nose
- Il raffreddore: cold
- La tosse: cough
- La nausea: nausea
- Il vomito: vomit
- Il gonfiore: swelling
- Il prurito: itching
- La febbre: fever
- La congiuntivite: conjunctivitis
- Gli occhi secchi: dry eyes
- La stanchezza: fatigue
- La stitichezza: constipation
- La cistite: cystitis
- La puntura di un insetto: bite
- Una allergia: allergy
- Un taglio: cut
- Una botta: bruise
- Una fitta: stitch
- Un crampo: cramp
- Un dolore: pain
- Uno sfogo: rash
To ask for medication related to your symptom, you can use these sentences:
Mi serve qualcosa per + [symptom]
I need something for [symptom]
- Mi serve qualcosa per il mal di testa.(I need something for a headache.)
- Mi serve qualcosa per la tosse. (I need something for a cough.)
- Mi serve qualcosa per la mia allergia. (I need something for my allergy.)
Cosa potrei prendere per + [symptom]?
What could I take for [symptom]?
- Cosa potrei prendere per la nausea? (What could I take for nausea?)
- Cosa potrei prendere per il dolore alla gamba? (What could I take for the leg pain?)
- Cosa potrei prendere questo sfogo sul braccio? (What can I take for this rash on my arm?)
Asking for medications in Italian
If you already know what medicine or pharmacy product you need, these are some handy words to use:
- Una medicina: drug, medicine
- Un farmaco: drug, medicine
- Una crema: cream
- Una pomata: ointment
- Una pastiglia: tablet, lozenge
- Uno sciroppo per la tosse: cough syrup
- Un antibiotico: antibiotic
- Un antistaminico: antihistamine
- Un analgesico: analgesic
- Una aspirina: aspirin
- Uno spray decongestionante: decongestant spray
- Un antidolorifico: painkiller
- Un collirio: eyedrops
- Un integratore: supplement
- Un lassativo: laxative
- Un calmante: tranquillizer
- Un termometro: thermometer
- Un disinfettante: disinfectant
- I cerotti: plasters
- Le garze: bandages
- Le compresse: tablets
When asking for a specific product, keep it simple with these two phrases:
Vorrei + [medicine/product]
I would like [medicine/product]
- Vorrei uno sciroppo per la tosse. (I would like a cough syrup.)
- Vorrei un integratore di vitamina C. (I would like a vitamin C supplement.)
- Vorrei una pomata per questa botta. (I would like a cream for this bruise.)
Avete + [medicine/product]?
Do you have [medicine/product]?
- Avete dei cerotti? (Do you have any plasters?)
- Avete un termometro? (Do you have a thermometer?)
- Avete un collirio per gli occhi secchi? (Do you have eye drops for dry eyes?)
Getting directions from the pharmacist in Italian
Once the pharmacist gives you the medication, they will probably explain how to take it. Generally, it’s not complicated, but knowing a few key phrases will make it easier to follow what they say. Here are some typical phrases you might hear:
È da prendere… (Take it…)
- ogni 8 / 12 ore (every 8 / 12 hours)
- due volte al giorno, una la mattina e una la sera (twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening)
- una volta al giorno, sempre alla stessa ora, per una settimana (once a day, at the same time, for a week)
- prima dei pasti (before meals)
- durante i pasti (during meals)
- a stomaco pieno / dopo i pasti(on a full stomach / after meals)
- a stomaco vuoto / lontano dai pasti (on an empty stomach / away from meals)
È da sciogliere in bocca / in un bicchiere d’acqua.
Dissolve it in your mouth / in a glass of water.
Instead, if the pharmacist doesn’t provide any instructions, you can ask:
Come si prende? / Come si prendono?
How do I take them?
Depending on what you ask for, you might also hear:
Per questo farmaco ci vuole la ricetta.
You need a prescription for this medication.
È allergico a questo farmaco?
Are you allergic to this medication?
You can also ask the pharmacist:
Ci sono delle controindicazioni?
Are there any side-effects?
Other useful pharmacy vocabulary in Italian
Here are some additional words you might find helpful when visiting a pharmacy in Italy:
- Il farmacista / La farmacista: pharmacist
- Il dottore: doctor
- La siringa: syringe
- I profilattici: condom
- La pillola del giorno dopo: morning-after pill
- L’orario di apertura / chiusura: opening / closing hours
- Orario continuato: continuous opening hours (no lunch break)
- La ricetta: prescription
- Senza ricetta: without prescription, over-the-counter
- Farmaci da banco: over-the-counter medicines
- Il banco: counter
- La cassa: cash register
Some examples:
- Sono andato in farmacia e il farmacista mi ha consigliato questa crema per il prurito. (I went to the pharmacy and the pharmacist recommended this cream for the itching.)
- Questo farmaco è disponibile solo con la ricetta. (This medicine is available only with a prescription.)
A common dialogue at the pharmacy in Italy
Now let’s see how it all comes together in a typical conversation at the pharmacy counter:
Pharmacist: Buongiorno, come posso aiutarla?
Good morning, how can I help you?
Customer: Buongiorno. Ho il naso chiuso e un forte mal di gola.
Good morning. I have a stuffy nose and a bad sore throat.
Pharmacist: Ha anche la febbre?
Do you have a fever as well?
Customer: No, ma mi fa male la testa.
No, but I have a headache.
Pharmacist: Le consiglio questo spray decongestionante per il naso e queste pastiglie per la gola.
I recommend this nasal decongestant spray and these throat lozenges.
Customer: Perfetto. Come si prendono?
How should I take them?
Pharmacist: Lo spray due volte al giorno e le pastiglie per la gola ogni 6 ore, meglio lontano dai pasti.
Use the spray twice a day and take the throat lozenge every 6 hours, best on an empty stomach.
Customer: Va bene, quanto le devo?
Alright, how much do I owe you?
Pharmacist: Sono 18 euro. Vuole un sacchetto?
That will be 18 euros. Would you like a bag?
Customer: Sì grazie. Pago con la carta.
Yes, thank you. I’ll pay by card.
Pharmacist: Ecco le medicine e lo scontrino. Arrivederci.
Here are your medicines and the receipt. Goodbye!
Customer: Grazie, arrivederci.
Thank you, goodbye.
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
