Parco Palladiano VIII: Neroli

I’m reticent to claim about anything that “This the best ____ out there!”, but Bottega Veneta’s take on neroli might really be it. I’m certain that I’ve never smelled a more natural, beautiful, or memorable neroli fragrance in my life. I know these bottles are expensive, but this one is worth making some sacrifices. I’m not sure what I can add to any of the reviews below except to say that I think they’re spot on. Bottega Veneta Neroli displays all the hallmarks of the highest quality craftsmanship and ingredients, and is a bright, waxy, and rich neroli scent that distinguishes itself from its competitors on first spray. To wit: I haven’t worn BV Neroli in at least five months—it’s November, and all my warm weather bottles are packed away—and I have no trouble recalling the scent as if I’m wearing it right now. I think it also bears mentioning that, while bright and sunny, Neroli is an unquestionably unisex offering—not something every fragrance in the Parco Palladiano line so easily pulls off (despite every one being listed as unisex). Clearly a fragrance built with high grade constituent parts and blended by true artisans, Neroli will prove worthy of its exorbitant cost on your first wear. Of course, due to its concentration and (likely expensive and natural) ingredients, its sillage and longevity are both top notch. Neither is likely to disappoint even the most demanding of fragrance enthusiasts. To my mind, and my nose, it’s hard to imagine a scent that evokes a late spring stroll through an orange grove along the Amalfi Coast as clearly, crisply, and effortlessly as this Parco Palladiano entry. Brava, Ms Alran!

What a STUNNING fragrance! This smells like the whole of the orange tree in all of its glory. It's sophisticated as well as quite simple and yet refined. It opens with a lovely hint of that petitgrain, which is of course both green and yet slightly citrusy. This part is soothing and delicate. And then comes the neroli and orange blossom notes in almost equal measure, with the neroli being the slightly more dominant of the two. I feel like the neroli amps up the orange blossom and brings out some of its more bitter and citrus side, while also giving it that slightly honeyed floral nuance. The orange blossom is still lovely and indolic though, while still being fresh. Lastly, I smell a hint of the woody notes at the base, grounding this perfume and making it last on the skin. For a neroli and orange blossom perfume, this lasts quite a while! I managed to get just over 5 hours on my skin. It also has medium projection. For me, this perfume leans feminine because of the pronounced orange blossom note and only hint of wood, but it could still be worn by a man for sure. It is not overpowering at all and sweet, citrusy and fresh in a white floral kind of way. I could imagine wearing it in either spring or summer during the day. It's so happy, bright and uplifting. I love this perfume and hope to get a bottle when I get the chance to, since it is a discontinued fragrance! They always get rid of the best ones...

Petit grain is one of my favorite notes in perfumery so I had to blind buy this beauty and what a beauty indeed!!! The petit grain, orange blossom and neroli notes dance together in unison to form a clean, almost soapy (but in a wonderful way) and citrusy/floral composition that smells marvelous. I smell this and I am transported straight to a Mediterranean garden where neroli and orange blossoms bloom aplenty! It is quite magical when a perfume does that! Therefore, Parco Palladiano Vlll Neroli by Bottega Veneta has become one of my newest obsessions and I cannot have enough of it. It makes me want to hold on to Summer a little longer, it takes me back to my youth spent in the South of France, it is bringing me happiness and joy, what more could I ask for? I have to add that the longevity is surprisingly good. It doesn’t necessarily project like a bomb, nor should it do so but I have received compliments on it by strangers. All in all, a wonderful and perfect scent to have in my collection as I am a citrus/white flowers obsessed person 😅😉

I agree with the prior reviewers that this is the best neroli fragrance I have experienced, with unusual complexity, longevity and projection. The adjectives deep, rich, pungent, dense, sweet and regal in earlier reviews resonated with me when thinking about this scent. Perhaps a more mature neroli than ones like TF Neroli Portofino; 20-30% less expensive than the TF, too. Such a shame that it seems this and the entire, often fascinating, Parco Palladiano range has been discontinued.

Definitely one of the better neroli perfumes out there. Beautiful and soft fragrance that lasted well throughout the night, well over 9 hrs. Sleeping to and waking up to this wonderful scent is a bliss. I’m sure sleeping next to someone with this sprayed would be even better.