Basilica di Assisi

I initially started this review with an explicit phrase. I deleted it because I realize it might be in bad taste in juxtaposition with this particular fragrance. I do, however, want to stress how good this fragrance really is. It is blank good. Obviously this is quite NICHE. Not for beginners. Not for people who will enjoy vanilla cupcake or strawberry fragrances. I can already hear the complaining come from those heads. This particular line is a collection of olfactory paintings depicting different basilica around the country of Italy. This one in particular is Assisi and it is easily my favorite. Fillipo is a master at creating incense. We all know this. We all should know this. But here he also captures a gentle breeze through sheer curtains alongside a balcony in the morning. It creates a moment of reflection, but simultaneously a moment of excitement and joy for the new day. It's not a happy fragrance, but almost like a feeling of faith. How he does that I have no idea. But it comes from a man that has all of these feelings inside of him already. It's all about sculpting. Sculpting, to me encompasses the concept behind the bottle. The hand of the pope. The symbol of hope Joy reflection and perhaps solitude. There is something in here that reminds me of a very specific smell I used to love when I was younger. There was a nature store a couple miles from my house a long time ago. They used to carry hand made soaps and when you walked into the store the smell would hit you in the face. And it smelled so good. There was a particular patch soap that was my favorite. I just did not know what it was when I was a child. I just adored it. That store closed decades ago, and I never found out what that smell was. There is a piece of that in here. And I have to have it. I highly recommend you try this fragrance.

Thankfully, I don't get lemon cleaner vibes. This was a blind buy and a successful one. A hand for the cap...why not? Little crazy, but looks fantastic in a collection. Hope to add more in the future. I thought my next amber/balsamic scent purchase would have been Black Gemstone. I was wrong. But not mad. This is right up my alley. Calming amber. Instant favorite for me. Slight sweetness. Very enjoyable.

this a beautiful fw day time fragrance although i think it can suit one well in the ss too. the dried fruits compliment the citrus so well and the freshness of the earthy, raw, and herbal/floral elements round this out quite beautifully. all incense from this house is done so right

Another masterpiece from Sorcinelli. I can't describe this fragrance, it's beyond this realm. It smells biblical and mysterious but it's not a churchy scent, it's angelic. I think Archangel Michael smells very similar to it.

In the opening I got an ozonic-feeling violet leaf and a green, slightly bitter galbanum duo (especially at the start). I looked to see if anyone felt the same as me and found them. When I sense things that aren't listed I feel the need to check... Anyway, this is an airy, sweetish, both fresh and warm, bold-resinous scent. There's a leathery patchouli in there, and especially the benzoin warmth has wrapped around everything. It's like you've taken shelter in a cozy corner but a slightly cool breeze from the forest is hitting your face... And this breeze carries the greenery of fresh and aromatic herbs. The incense feel isn't the sour olibanum style, it's very very warm and enveloping. The atmospheric feel is strong, but if you're hoping for gothic, eerie, dark or sorrowful things, this doesn't have them. In the drydown the styrax becomes more prominent, getting warmer and more leathery. Liked it. It would be wonderful in autumn and winter especially... Among the comparisons I saw Opus 1144, I don't think it's quite similar. That one has a strong elemi feel and is a louder, darker scent compared to this. It might just be that the house's DNA is noticeable, or maybe the connection was made because of the benzoin softness. The more I smell it, the more it sits somewhere in my brain between Shaman (Min New York) because of its patchouli, and Luxe Calme Volupté because of the way the green, fresh bitterness meets resin. Tag(s): warm+cold, leathery, patchouli, ozonic, bitter-green, resinous