Accanto alla cartoleria c’è una farmacia aperta anche la domenica.

Accanto a means next to or beside.

In this sentence, a + la becomes alla, so:

• accanto a la cartoleria → accanto alla cartoleria

So Accanto alla cartoleria means next to the stationery shop.

This is a very common contraction in Italian:

• a + il → al
• a + la → alla
• a + lo → allo
• a + i → ai
• a + gli → agli
• a + le → alle

Cartoleria is a stationery shop or paper-and-school-supplies store.

It usually sells things like:

• notebooks
• pens
• pencils
• folders
• school supplies
• office supplies

A native English speaker might first guess it has something to do with cards or paper, and that is a helpful association.

Italian often uses the article where English may or may not use it.

Here, alla cartoleria means next to the stationery shop or next to the stationery store. The article makes it sound like a specific, identifiable place.

Without the article, the phrase would sound less natural in this context.

C’è means there is.

It comes from ci è, which contracts to c’è.

So:

• c’è una farmacia = there is a pharmacy

If you said just è una farmacia, that would mean it is a pharmacy, which is a different idea.

This is one of the most important differences for English speakers:

• c’è = there is
• ci sono = there are

For example:

• C’è una farmacia. = There is a pharmacy.
• Ci sono due farmacie. = There are two pharmacies.

The apostrophe shows that ci è has been shortened to c’è.

This contraction is standard and extremely common.

So although the full form is historically ci è, in normal modern Italian you will usually see:

• c’è = there is

Farmacia is a feminine singular noun, so it takes the feminine singular indefinite article una.

• un is used with many masculine nouns
• una is used with feminine nouns

So:

• una farmacia
• una scuola
• una casa

Also, una farmacia means a pharmacy, not the pharmacy. It introduces the place as something not yet specifically identified.

Because aperta agrees with farmacia.

• farmacia is feminine singular
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular

That is why you get:

• una farmacia aperta

Compare:

• un negozio aperto = an open shop
• una farmacia aperta = an open pharmacy
• due farmacie aperte = two open pharmacies

Here aperta is functioning like an adjective, even though it comes from the past participle of aprire.

It literally means open also on Sunday / on Sundays.

The structure is:

• una farmacia = a pharmacy
• aperta = open
• anche la domenica = also on Sundays / even on Sunday

So aperta describes farmacia:

• una farmacia aperta anche la domenica = a pharmacy that is open on Sundays too

Italian often uses a past participle like aperto/aperta as an adjective in this way.

This is a very common point of confusion.

With days of the week, the article often gives a habitual meaning.

So:

• la domenica = on Sundays, every Sunday, or on Sunday in general

In this sentence, anche la domenica suggests the pharmacy is open even on Sundays, not only on weekdays.

By contrast, domenica without the article often refers to a specific Sunday, depending on context.

So the article here helps express a repeated, general fact.

Usually yes, but the real-world usage can feel a little different depending on the country.

In Italian, farmacia is the normal word for a place where you buy medicine and speak to a pharmacist.

In many English-speaking places, pharmacy can mean either:

• the counter/department inside a larger store, or
• a full pharmacy shop

So farmacia is often closer to a dedicated pharmacy store.

Yes, often you can.

Both can mean something like near the stationery shop, but there is a slight nuance:

• accanto a = right next to, beside
• vicino a = near, sometimes a little less exact

So if the pharmacy is immediately beside the stationery shop, accanto a is especially appropriate.

Yes, it is completely normal.

The structure is:

• Accanto alla cartoleria = location
• c’è = there is
• una farmacia = a pharmacy
• aperta anche la domenica = open also on Sundays

Italian often puts the location first when setting the scene, just like English can do:

• Next to the stationery shop, there is a pharmacy...

Also, adjectives and descriptive phrases commonly come after the noun in Italian:

• una farmacia aperta
• un negozio grande
• una casa bella

So the sentence sounds natural and standard.