Acqua di Colonia

Bright, sweet-but-not-cloying citrus. Darkened just barely by a smooth, warm herbal accord in the background. Juicy at first, after an hour it becomes a little drier, greener and spicier. Lasts 4-6 hours. Very summery and happy. The truly wonderful thing about it is the connection to Caterina de'Medici, 14 years old, impossibly wealthy, "small of stature, and thin, and without delicate features, but having the protruding eyes peculiar to the Medici family" according to contemporaries. This was, of course, created for her as a wedding present by the Dominican monks of Santa Maria Novella. The French court loved it on her so much, they decided to start wearing perfume, too. And the rest is history. The rest of her historical legacy as France's dowager queen is... less fun, more brutal. For me, it creates the kind of transportive experience particular to the olfactory. What a thing, to delight in what she delighted in, 500 years ago. It makes you feel your humanity. More pragmatically, I'll sometimes put a splash of this on to brighten up a fragrance that feels a little too dour on any given day. Gauche, I'm sure, but it functions as the perfect citrus top note.

Acqua di Colonia is the best of the eau de cologne genre that I personally have ever encountered. I used to live in Florence and I vividly remember lusting after this and Zagara during one of the hottest summers on record there as I could smell them on passersby and any time I passed the shop. Today I got the chance to smell and wear this again, and it lived up to my memories. Acqua di Colonia is a joyous burst of fresh citrus that grows more complexly herbal, green, spicy and round as it dries down. It is one of the few fragrances that I can actually smell all the listed notes. Absolutely unisex, uplifting, and calming. This is wearable aromatherapy. This is a time capsule. This is eau de cologne at its best.

@ Gigi the Fashionista- Bergamot is not coming from Bergamo, but from southern Italy. I am from near Bergamo and, of course, Italian. Anyhow, this fragrance is nothing short of a good quality old fashioned Cologne. It was created for Caterina de Medici as Gigi says and the formula has unvaried so far, a part from some add ons of the now omnipresent Farnesol and bla bla bla. Nothing more to add and nothing to substract to what's been said so far. I'd like to point out one thing only. No one can say that this reminds of 4711 , TF Portofino or other ones: it is all those others that smell like SMN, as this came first, and a long time ago

I got a second-hand bottle of Santa Maria Novella Muschio Oro with 30ml left a few weeks ago. It's my first time trying something of Santa Maria Novella, and I have to say that it is wonderful. What should I describe it? Gloomy and bitter appears at the top notes, then turns soft? Pure scent of musk lasts from beginning to end? No, it's not enough to express my feeling of it. It quiets me in the sweltering summer heat during the day, it comforts me into sleep at night. Musk is a note said to be horny. Maybe it is, since it fits in with the skin. I am fascinated by Santa Maria Novella, and I want to try more fragrance of this brand.

S. Maria Novella has an exquisite aroma of citrus/powdery/floral vib making it addictive. This juice has a real clean green aroma from neriol and a very citrusy lemon note. Longevity and Silage is at best moderate lasting 6hrs. Overall, This fragrance with several notes is a complex blend coming together making it ABSOLUTELY ATTRACTIVE as a unisex juice. I pick up other floral notes besides lavender and jasmine. As a blind purchase, I didn't know if this line, I wasn't sure if I was going to be impressed with this fragrance's...I am The only tiny downside is the longevity....7.5/10