italian perfumes: 3 posts

Spend a day in Catania, a baroque jewel on the east coast of Sicily, and you will understand why Boudoir 36, an artisanal perfume boutique, is such a great fit for this exuberant city. Every scent, taste and color seems more intense—jasmine draping the building facades, oranges piled into ziggurats on the sidewalks, and even the blue of the sky with a dark triangle of Mount Etna. The perfume selection at Boudoir 36 can rival the finest boutiques in Paris and London, but its flamboyance and opulence are uniquely Sicilian.

Once behind the heavy red curtain of Boudoir 36, you leave behind the bustle of Via Santa Filomena and discover a calm, dark oasis. ‘Boudoir’ is an appropriate name; the boutique is small, only 22 square meters, and it has the intimate ambiance of a private salon. There are shelves upon shelves of perfume bottles, crystal glasses of scent strips, gilded candles, and soaps wrapped in colorful paper. Flowers spill out of vases in baroque arrangements and crystal chandeliers cast a soft glow over the antique furniture.

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Italian fragrance brand Acqua di Parma is introducing a new fragrance this month. Ginepro di Sardegna is inspired by the aroma of Sardinia, an island in the Mediterranean sea, it blends pepper, nutmeg, juniper, cypress and sage with Virginia cedarwood (itself a type of juniper) and true cedarwood.

“Then he thought he saw the flame that released the scent of juniper from the wood logs in the fireplace; and this scent,
in turn, opened up, beyond a musky tunnel, a landscape of woods, rocks, green slopes that reached down to the blue line
of the sea.”
from “Il Cedro del Libano” Grazia Deledda

According to the press release, Ginepro di Sardegna “opens with the aromatic and balsamic notes of juniper blended with the sunny brightness of bergamot and the vivid spicy notes of pepper, pimento, and nutmeg that recall the green landscapes, deep blue skies, and bright colours typical of the lands of Sardinia. The energy of juniper, at the heart, is enhanced again by the aromatic resinous notes of common sage, with cypress bringing warm balsamic accents to the fragrance, in perfect balance with a base of warm and woody accents of Virginia Cedarwood. A feeling of deep satisfaction that is only offered by the Sardinian landscape, where the Mediterranean reaches the pinnacle perfection.”

Available at Acqua di Parma boutiques and department store counters. Via press release.

“With its clashing architecture and congested traffic, Milan is not a city that leaves everyone smitten, but those who know it appreciate its sobriety and style,” says WWD’s report on the new fragrance from Trussardi, an Italian fashion brand originating in Milan. Trussardi My Land is the Eau de Toilette for men. Created by Givaudan perfumer Alexandra Kosinki, this woody fougere includes notes of bergamot, green mandarin, lavender, calone, violet, cashmeran, vetiver, leather, and tonka beans.

“Milan is a city full of distinctive cultures, shopping streets, historical buildings and more importantly a passionate drive for fine cuisine. With Tomaso Trussardi, son of pioneer Nicola Trussardi behind the helm of the new campaign and commercial, this is one fragrance that the CEO takes pride personally in ensuring the essence of Trussardi and his city is captured within the perfume bottle itself.”

Trussardi My Land debuts at the end of September and will retail for USD $45, $59 and $79 respectively for 3 different sizes.

Via WWD and a quote from Cosmone