Parco Palladiano IV: Azalea

I've never smelled anything like this. And it's gorgeous. This is proof to me that you really don't need a complex scent with layers and layers of notes to make something beautiful and unique. This is the scent of the woman you see walking down the street looking timeless and modern yet natural and comfortable. Her clothes are fine and well tailored but not overly fussy. The picture that I painted is of a woman, but that may be my bias as I am a woman and love this scent. It does not scream female, but there is something womanly about it. I definitely don't think it would seem out of place on a man. I believe that this could be worn any time of the year: the bitter, natural flower makes this sing in the summer, but the warm, creamy, nuttiness should make this comfortable in cooler weather as well. But it is so perfectly balanced between the two that it does not need an extreme of either temperature to work. There is an element of sweetness, but it's subtle to my nose. It seems more there to assist in the balancing of the natural bitterness than to make a "sweet" scent. It's so beautiful. Let's not make it too popular though. ;-)

Azalea was love at first sniff, I know I have a fascination with sweet fragrances but here everything is so well integrated that I can't say that this is a vanilla fragrance, I usually like the notes of nuts but I have my problems with chestnut, I don't know why it always brings to mind some smell like something warm mixed with sweat. But returning to what interests and to the excellent work of Alexis Didier (also creator of others of this line) Azalea is so far my favorite of the Parco Palladiano line (I have tried 6 and I have 5) and is that all its components are so well integrated that none of them protrudes on another, the chestnut has the perfect balance with vanilla and the note of rhododendron or azalea (with which I am not familiar) is the one that I assume makes the magic here, the smell is creamy, sweet, slightly powdery and dry that mixed with the fruity (but not juicy) notes of peach and tangerine give it an aura like medicinal caramel (which does not gourmand) a wonderful composition that so far perfectly complements the other fragrances that I have of the line all unique and magical, pure olfactory experiences.

Wow, this was a blind buy of the 10ml size. I had been gifted the large size of the 1 Magnolia and took a chance. The title suggests Azalea which is correct however this fragrance seems to be based on the native American Deciduous Azaleas [All azaleas are in the genus Rhododendron]. The hybrids are known as Exbury Hybrids and they are heavenly. Like the Magnolia this is an exquisitely crafted approximation of its natural namesake. The deciduous azaleas have that sweet scent with something nutty and so does this perfume. I love it. But maybe because it reminds me of nature's version and maybe because it is a sweet smelling floral but not cloying sweet. The peach adds its own sweetness, but again understated, never rude. It is complex and layered. All the notes as listed are there and the sweetness persists along with the nuttiness and vanilla. For men that like some floral I think it would be very nice. The peachy chestnut is fun and keeps you coming back for more. For women it might not be for everyone. It is not a typical fragrance and that may be why I like it. Good longevity. Could just become my signature scent.

This is my favorite of the Palladiano line. Its sweet and nutty with a very light floral note. It reminds me faintly of warm buttered caramel popcorn in a way, but I don't want that image to ruin this scent for you readers. The nuttiness is not quite like warm vanilla, but it gives off that kind of rich creaminess. The floral element is not what gives this the sweetness factor, but a plant like bitterness that offsets this fragrance perfectly. This is quite beautiful and very much a unisex fragrance, I think this this would smell great on a man or a woman. Projection and longevity is very good, it lasts on me awhile with just two sprays. In closing, the overall effect of IV is sophisticated, sexy, and expensive smelling. Thumbs way up and well worth the money.

What awesome fragrance, it’s so unique, very cozy comforting, yet fresh. I really love it and I think it’s definitely unisex and men and women can pull it off. It remained me a lot of Nina Ricci Premier Jour I believe it was called but this one is less feminine, a little smoky from vanilla and little herby I wonder if it’s from Azalea note and more up to date and of course with much better quality in sillage and longevity. Favorite so far from the Bottega Veneta. This line is amazing overall and deserves more hype than it does.