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In an age when the next big celebrity is always on the verge of launching their new signature scent, we at Mozzafiato look for products that stand out for entirely different reasons. Authenticity. Heritage. Deep connections to place and people. Qualities that speak to Italy and the Italian soul.
Within our collection, some of the most exquisite scents have been centuries in the making and the experience of them (whether in a personal fragrance, candle, or room diffuser) is unlike anything you can buy off the shelf in a typical chain beauty store. With origins in the Renaissance in Florence and with the Monks on the Island of Capri, these fragrances transport you through time and space and connect with your soul.
Farmacia 1561
The year is 1561. The city of Florence, one of Europe’s most dynamic financial centers, is in the midst of an artistic, philosophical, and scientific awakening. The gorgeous city is alive with music, art, and the aromas of spice, flowers, ripe citrus, and baking bread. And in the heart of it all, a family of perfumers sets out to develop a line of fragrances that capture the splendor and magnificence of Florence even centuries earlier.
The Italian Renaissance was a glorious age for invention. It also was a time when Italians were renewing their interest in the past and rediscovering their own history as a lens through which they viewed present day politics, power struggles, and religion. And these Florentine artists weren’t just working in marble and paint – they were also apothecaries, pharmacists, and alchemists, like the family who created the legendary Farmacia SS. Annunziata 1561.
For 460 years, inspired by the Renaissance-era Guilds, Farmacia SS. Annunziata 1561 has created high-prestige products and exclusive scents that transport the history of Florence into the modern day. Owned today by the Azzerlini family, who have managed the brand for two generations, they produce the most rich, gorgeous room fragrances in distinctive sophisticated bottles that bring good taste and style to any room. These fragrances evoke far-off places, stirring thoughts of soft breezes and exotic ports -- and the memories of a just-ended journey.
Arte dei Mercatanti Home Fragrance by Farmacia SS. Annunziata 1561
Farmacia is also innovating in new products and skincare that it will launch with its refreshed branding and products this spring – stay tuned for when they become available in the US through Mozzafiato!
Carthusia
Legend has it that the father prior of the Carthusian Monastery of St. Giacomo on Capri was surprised by an unexpected visit from Queen Joanna I of Anjou in 1380. He scrambled to pick the most beautiful flowers on the island to present her in a bouquet. After the bouquet stood in a vase for three days, the water had taken on a haunting and beautiful fragrance – a scent of wild carnations that became the first perfume of Capri.
Whether this legend is true or not, we know for certain that in 1681, the monastery began distilling local flowers and herbs to create essential oils and fragrance blends. Those same, centuries-old formulas were rediscovered in the 1940s and are used by the Carthusian monks today to continue the tradition of limited-production, finely crafted, hand-produced fragrances of magnificent quality.
Carthusia’s iconic Fiori di Capri derives from the legendary scent of those handpicked wild carnations. Their Mediterraneo is a bewitching combination of fresh lemon and sparkling green tea, reminiscent of the grandeur of Europe, Africa, and Asia of centuries ago. Both are available for you to accent your own life with personal fragrance, home fragrance, candles, and hand creams.
Links to Fiori Di Capri and Mediterraneo perfumes.
These fragrances are robed in a bit of mystery – an alchemy that transformed time and nature into pure gold. But they aren’t relics of the past; they are alive and actively produced in their homeland today.
So why not stop in for a visit the next time you’re on Capri or strolling the streets of Florence? Take some time to speak with the family behind Farmacia or the family who safeguards the formulas at Carthusia. Their stories are better than those of any online celebrity – and the same scents you’ll find in their small shops are the ones you can order today through Mozzafiato.