The ancient Romans adored the aromas of perfume; the explorer Marco Polo brought exotic botanicals back to 13th-century Venice from his travels; and the Medicis championed Florence as an historic home of perfumery. For two millennia and more, Italy and perfume have been inextricably linked. The Romans led the way, combining white thyme, rose and olibanum oils to sweeten the air in their bathhouses and refresh the skin. And by drawing on ingredients from across their empire, Roman perfumers could experiment and take the art to a new level. They also provided fragrance creation with a name: ‘perfumare’, from the Latin ‘to smoke through.’
ELEGANT AND HONOURABLE
From the time Roman naturalist Pliny (AD 23-79) wrote about scent makingthrough to Catherine de’ Medici spreading its pleasures through Renaissance Europe when she moved to the French court in 1533, there has been a strong whiff of Italian influence within the art. “The pleasure of perfume is among the most elegant and most honourable enjoyments in life,”
