Victrix

Victorious, as the latin cognomen of the Legio VI Victrix suggests, is an ode to ancient Rome. Four notes. Pepper, mentioned endless times by Marco Gavio Apicio in his cooking recipes, was considered a luxurious spice, by far the most loved by the ancient Roman aristocracy. (They're probably using pink pepper, a false pepper that arrived in Europe only in recent times, because the berries are more aromatic or because is easier to estract the essential oils or because it deliveres a fresher note. I'm not sure). Coriander, cited by Plinio il Vecchio for its various food applications and for its relaxing properties. Oak wood, the simbol of virtue, strenght, dignity, perseverance and military valor. It was also the symbol of Jupiter, the king of the gods. And finally the most famous, laurel, rapresenting victory, glory and wisdom. The symbol of Apollo. Today if you find yourself in the late afternoon traffic of Via Appia Nuova directed to the center of Roma immediatly after the gates of Villa dei Quintili you can turn yor head left and look at the park and you'll be able to spot in the distance the ruins of the Calidarium and Frigidarium of an ancient Roman bath. And those are just some of the many ancient edifices nestled nearby that segment of the Via Appia Antica. You look at those structures from today's world. They look back at you. From another era. The harsh smell in the opening, due to the laurel I suppose, it reminds me of something concerning oil paint or the act of painting. And in an instant I find myself sorrounded by the recently frescoed walls of a Roman domus stepping out in the approaching dusk after the rain two millenia ago. Silence. Fireflys. Ponentino. Time travel to ancient Rome is possible. Through VICTRIX. One of the best PROFVMVM ROMA fragrances ever.

So, every now and then, I try perfume families that i usually don't gravitate towards. It's good to try new things and get new perspectives especially when you are in an unknown place. This time, that place was Rome and i was looking forward to take a dive into the city and it's perfume shops, asking for the one thing that i usually hate: fresh summer fragrances. Smelled many, disliked most but eventually got in the Profumum Roma shop near Piazza del Popolo and the tables turned. I was already a bit defeated but still wanted the challenge. Fresh summer fragrances - i said, but added: I usually don't like them. I go towards dry, woody, wintery style fragrances with a touch of warmth. The lady from the shop asked me if i liked oakmoss and i smiled. She handed me Victrix, and i felt understood. The very distinct aromatic opening with the bay leaf and pink pepper is bold and gives this a salty, summery and spicy character to a more traditional chypre base that feels so conforting. Great quality, very natural scent, simplistic in it's approach that is distinct from the boring clean colognes yet, unpretentious when compared with the complex concoctions that always remind me of the Nietzsche quote: They muddy the water, to make it seem deep. To me, a great discovery: Rome, Profumum Roma and Victrix.

UPDATE: have used this about 1/2 dozen time now. Like it more each time. There is a certain depth to it that I find lends itself to a gentleman in fall. Think 'George Cloony territory'. Full bottle for me!! The scene... I am on a weekend (3 day) getaway to a cabin (well appointed) in the rolling hills where there are oak trees and dry grass. It is just after 'Indian summer' and into fall and the first rain hits. Not a lot of rain, about 2 hours worth but that amount was enough to release the unique smells that one only gets at that time. Temperature cool but comfortable, time for an Irish wool pull over sweater. It is borderline for a fire tonight in the fireplace but I will light a small one for the ambiance and to acknowledge the change of season and think about the times I had in the summer past and the adventures that are waiting for the winter. Victrix is a herbaceous and aromatic scent reminiscent of the above. I get wet oak and laurel trees, dry grass just rained on but also, maybe, a little rosemary, some wood too, all balanced. Could call it unisex but I would say for gentlemen. Quality. When the time is right I will reach for this.

Victrix does not smell like the forest to me at all. I don't get pine as some have mentioned. I smell fresh water plants like the type that goes around the edges of a fresh water pond; nettle, spearmint, water cress, even a hint of sage and perhaps just a tiny bit of dill. This is a very fresh green scent...one of the freshest around. I really like it a lot and would love to find a good deal on a full bottle somewhere...but that's a very hard thing to do with Profumum fragrances. I found that Maria Candida Gentile's Finisterre is very similar in my opinion to Victrix. There is more of a musty herb smell to Finisterre than there is to Victrix. Victix is smoother and seems to be a better blend overall to my senses that Finisterre, but they definitely smell like they're related. Victrix however was created at least 4 to 5 years before Finisterre, so it's the original at least of these two. I hope to own a bottle sometime soon.

Victrix is just as much herb lover's delight as it is a woodland lover's delight. All the herbs are palpable: an opening of bay leaf, punctuated by pink pepper and coriander, with impressions of thyme, even lovage and angelica root. Yet the earth underneath is discernible, somewhat damp after a light rain, with the sun now slowly evaporating the drops that sit on the leaves like spherical gems. The merging of camphor and petrichor is stimulating. I then am reminded of pine cones and tawny fallen pine needles, then of the entire trees that tower above. There is that salty, savory quality that I associate with damn, fertile woodlands. The vetiver in Victrix doesn't muscle its way in, it effectively creates the illusion with oakmoss/evernyl and musks to evoke the saps, the resins, and the feral leafiness. This is a minimalist beauty with an effortless naturalism that I look forward to wearing this summer.