Ratio; A New Blu…

There may be no more desirable a brand than Acqua Di Parma, the Italian fragrance company. Know for is an exploration of all scents and scenes from across the towns to rugged countryside, no one explores Italy as they do

With the already successful collections which include Colonia the ingredients collection the Nobili and note de Colonia is the Blu Mediterraneo collection which boasts its latest facet of Italy.  Cipresso di Toscana -is the latest to be added; a fragrance as energising as a walk among the Tuscan hills.

There is nothing quite like walking in the woods of a hot countryside.  The smell is so complex and different to say a wet woodland of a cooler climate.  Probably a lot less rain, but mostly very different vegetation.  This fragrance is a celebration that embodies all the vitality of a walk in the Tuscan nature parks, where the Cypress tree, with its slender shape and aromatic, balsamic, energy-giving scent, a tree so quintessential and symbolic of the Tuscan landscape, reigns supreme.

Not initially native to Tuscany the tree was actually bought to the region by the Etruscans from Asia Minor, and Aas it is seen as a tree of life and a symbol of eternity, monks would plant cypresses in the courtyards of their cloisters as far back as the Middle Ages. As a tree, it has many symbolic associations. For example, it became a leitmotif of Renaissance art on account of its slender, geometrical shape which lent itself well to the movement’s attention to perspective. With their elegance and simplicity creating a sense of rhythm and harmony in parks and gardens, cypress trees became a highly desirable feature of the grand, countryside villas belonging to the Florentine bourgeoisie.

But don’t think of the tree as just a piece of foliage that grows in woods and dense hilltops its spread aright cross the whole of the Tuscan landscape. Every street corner, every church, every garden, every hilltop, is graced by the presence of this centuries-old tree. Rows of cypress trees with their dense crowns adorn the long Tuscan streets, like the famous cypress-lined avenue in Bolgheri in Maremma, and the streets winding their way up the Siena and Chianti hills. Here in these lands, the cypress is the most prized of trees thanks to its distinctive ornamental value, as well as being admired for growing to heights of 50 metres and live for 500 years.

Its scent is most distinctive but the wood of the bark has also been prized for centuries.  It has long been a favourite of craftsmen who use it to build everything from the hulls of ships to the doors of villas and palaces, from precious items of furniture to musical instruments. Its balsamic scent, resinous and woody, inspires strength and energy.

This take on the area for the perfume, is as much about the tree as it is about a walk along the paths of Tuscany’s nature reserves. It inspires a feeling of regeneration and of energy, it is a reinterpretation of this classic fougère (Fougère perfumes are made with a blend of fragrances: top-notes are sweet, with the scent of lavender flowers; as the more volatile components evaporate, the scents of oakmoss, derived from a species of lichen and described as woody, sharp and slightly sweet, and coumarin, similar to the scent of new-mown hay, become noticeable. ) in a modern yet typically Italian key.

Evoking a lively breeze, the fragrance opens with refreshing star anise and elemi, illuminated by sparkling notes of orange and petit grain. A vivaciousness that introduces an aromatic heart of sage and lavender, while woody balsamic base notes of cypress and pine evoke the silence of nature and a gratifying sense of wellbeing.

Cipresso di Toscana will be available nationwide from May and is priced at £72 for 75ml, £108 for 150ml & £35 for the Shower Gel.