Collezione Privata Viaggio d'Africa

At first sniff I tell in love with this fragrance and, now after have spent a few years together, I love it even more. Viaggio d'Africa is simply and excellent vetiver fragrance that, as others have mentioned, is impossible to beat for the price. Fortunately, I picked-up several bottles during 2014/15 but, sadly, it is now hard to find. Viaggio d'Africa is a lightly dirty/smoky fragrance that, at first, was a bit outside of my comfort zone when I first tried it, since I was more into the cleaner/fresher vetiver scents. This fragrances has been compared to the infamous Vetiver Tonka and I can verify the similarities after having later spend considerate time with that fine fragrance. Both are quality scents, but just a bit different. Personally, I find them different enough to warrant having both in my Scent Armory since I am a big fan of this scent genre. But it's your choice and your mileage may vary. Initially, the citrus blast strikes me as being a bit synthetic, although extremely pleasant, and the smokiness (I will assume this to be the Guaiac Wood) masks the vetiver and tonka bean. It wasn't until an hour or more into the dry-down that I can fully separate the vetiver and tonka from the smokiness of the composition. As oten mentioned, Viaggio d'Africa is an outstanding blend but some may feel it could be better (i.e., more like Vetiver Tonka) if they didn't 'bake' it so quite so long in the oven, for lack of better term. While most reviewers made no mention of it, I picked-up a slight hint of cedar wood (which I love) but only when applied directly to my chest for some strange reason. 4-hours into dry-down and I experience the smokiness to be much more subtle; like a warm & friendly hug. Also, I don't detect the slightest hint of chocolate as some have suggested. VdA is also an interesting scent and, to be honest, this is exactly what was looking for since I have enough of the "smells like everyone else" colognes in my Scent Armory. I get excellent longevity and average projection with this one. VdA is really nice juice for it being mid-range fragrance; and a tremendous value at the time. Vetiver Tonka may be the King in this category but, for me, VdA is an excellent alternative and it is a fragrance that I love even more because of it's darker cutting edges.

Not a bad one AT ALL, I am really HAPPY to have this one..nothing cheap or boring about the smell, indeed it is quite unique without being that offensive like encre noire might be....interesting combination of notes, I swear I even feel mango or sth similar in the top notes....but ok....maybe cause I am all new to this...I am sure most people may like it and just a few may feel it irrelevant...there are no reasons to say it smells bad....NOT AT ALL....most of the people I asked seemed to like it and found it appealing and interesting... after 2, 5 hours the dry down is great....it is similar in a way... to rocky mountain wood... After 5 hours it is still there, quite dark, woody, unique...still keeps being somehow similar to rocky mountain wood....am I the only one noticing this similarity?...at times I feel like a MILKY/creamy rocky mountain wood version, quite nice indeed....I have to do a side by side to be sure about this... 7.5 hours and still going...closer to the skin but still there Edit...I am wearing it for the second time and still amazing...I am doing a side by side with another from the private collection and even when different...viaggio seems to be the best smelling one...indeed worth of a blind buy...it smells good, interesting, high class and again..quite unique! scent: 9 if not a 10....maybe of the best and most interesting smells in my collection projection:7 longevity: 9 versatility:7 nice job on this fragrance given the price.... Edit: After testing all of the 4 fragrances of the private collection...this is by FAR the most unique and better smelling one...it is easy to love as well...well done Pal Zileri...viaggio is a winner The best: Viaggio the interesting good smelling but too classy one: Colonia Purissina the least relevant ones: Cashemere a Ambre a Blu di provenza...(this last one has terrible longevity and projection...and now that I smell it once again it has vibes of prada infusion d' homme...but lighter)

First of all, I wanna say thank you to Caverat for helping me buy this on a german online shop :) This was a blind buy, following rave reviews here in Fragrantica, this scent has its fans like Daynierds. ANd I DO NOT REGRET IT !!! I'm not the biggest fan of vetiver, It always give an 'old man' vibes. Encre Noire by Lalique it's the exception because, intead of being straight up vetyver, it's actually the BURNT vetiver smell that I like. Well this one is a different take on vetiver as well: Think slightly burnt candied (read, sweet) vetyver. The opening is OK. a blast of alcohol and a very light citrus smell. Then , after 15 min or so, that caramelized vetiver rises. It's not syrupy sweet, but sweet noetheless. Is this the tonka? Probably. The dry down, though likable, is a little disappointment.. it turns ito an old-school soap smell, BUT a classy one. This never smells cheap, actually, it's very classy, a perfect suit-and-tie frag for fall (and depending on how much you apply, it could actually be 4-season fragrance). Never sampled Bal d'Afrique nor vetiver Tonka, so I cant speak. Projection and sillage are moderate, and so far, 10 hours after applying, though a skin scent, I still can smell it. sillage : 6,5/10 projection : 6,5/10 Longevity : 8/10 scent : 9/10 (-1 for the quite bland drydown - but very nice niche quality) NOTE : 7,5 /10 You can blind buy it, please do it asap because it's very difficult to find, I'm afraid it will be harder and harder to get in the future :(

Best of the 4 a pure mix of byredos ball d'afrique and tonka vetiver and I think its been inspired ( or stolen) by these 2 but hell its a nice try. I also get some ebony note in it, its very compelling right from start. Its captivating and im sad i did not kept this tester bottle for my self( 3.4 oz) Only downside was the drydown i think the fragrance breaks apart in the final drydown the last hour this scent get "burned" as you discover when a sad gets "bad" gotthis especially on your arms n armpits. Its mystique is from early start there! i cannot describe what im feeling but i see some sunset evening on the dry lands of and african village where all day in the hot sun a local food and spices market was kept with spices and fruit all together with sweets and coffee and tea presented on guaic wood plates and balmy candles in other market stands... Mixup of many blends with hot weather so to say... Its very easy on the nose so dont expect an niche arty nifty style but a more pleasant take on this, for some reason they managed to captivate the mid of a niche quality perfume in the top. Big thumbs for the try!

Journey of Mind and Body (2010) Scentrack: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence VdA by Pal Zileri is a scent of incredible beauty. It really represents a voyage of body and mind, like every journey always is. It opens with just shy citruses and immediately jumps to the note of pale and powdery iris. Sweet tonka is perfectly paired with green vetiver resulting in new olfactive entity. After ebony coming into play the whole perfume changes seems to become a practical course on Maillard reactions. Some ghost of freshly roasted coffee rules the whole composition. The only concerns about VdA is the synthetic nature of the composition, and possible discontinuation of the whole line. The phantom coffee really takes me to viaggio, a voyage to East Africa and its coffee plantations in the mountains. A meditative yet cheerful place. And this perfume is the same... meditative, serene yet happy and delightful. A wonderful journey of mind and body. Rating: 7/10