lorenzo villoresi: the world-champion nose

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By Lucy Gordan
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Photosby JacquesGavard
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Bav Area Wine Writers Florence,November27, 2OOG
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On ThanksgivingFlorentineperftrmerLorenzoVilloresireceivedthe FrangoisCoty prize at the
Chateaud'Ertignyin the LoireValley and was crownedLe Roi des Nez or "The King of the
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Noses",surpassingall his Frenchcompetitorson their home turf and at the professionthey longto be their nationalexclusive.In all faimessVilloresiis not the first ltalianto be awarded
boasted
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Todayfragrances(includingVilloresi's)are sold all over the world in duty-frees,department
stores,and specialtyshops, but perfumehas a historyas ancientas Egypt,where tomb remains
Name Brand Perfume - revealthe use of fragrant
ointmentsand oils. Avicenna,a 10th-century
Arab physicianand
Less
philosopher,is said to have discoveredthe distillationprocessthat greatly reducedthe cost of
Hardto Find Huge
makingthe essentialoils used in perfumery,and knowledgeof distillationspreadthroughEurope
Selectionof Name Brand duringthe MiddleAges as the Crusadersretumedwith
samplesof Arab essences.
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Four Generationsof Villoressi
photo [email protected]
The first modemperfume,madeof s@ntedoils blendedin an alcoholsolution,was madein 1370
at the commandof QueenElizabethof Hungaryand was knownthroughoutEuropeas Hungary
Water.The art of perfumeryprosperedin RenaissanceFlorence-- even Leonardoda Vinci was
especiallyof laurel-- and in the 16thcenturyFlorentineculinaryand
an expertin distillation,
perfumeryrefinements
were takento Parisby Catherinede' Medici,the youngbrideof the future
FrenchKing Henryll, and her personalperfumer,RenatoBianco.Thus Francequicklybecame
the Europeancenterof perfumemanufactureit still is today.
the religiousritesof ancientChina,Palestine,and
"The bumingof incensethat accompanied
Egyptled graduallyto the personaluse of perfume,.explainsLorenzoVilloresi,who in his
acceptancespeechcomparedhimselfto a panda,becausehe too is a beastfrom the pastwho
resiststhe freneticpace of modemlife and the driveto be 'in fashion."He considershimselfan
Catherinede' Medici.A 50alchemistand a discipleof both Avicennaand of fellow-Florentine
year-oldcosmopolitan
gourmet,Villoresihas combinedhis lovelofhistory,travel,and spicycuisine
intothe unusualesotericprofessionof perfumer.
researcherin philosophy,
Villoresitravelledwidelyin the Far and MiddleEast:
As a post-graduate
at home,
India,lsrael,Jordan,Sinai,the Red Sea,and Egypt.Here he felt particularly
undoubtedlybecause
duringthe early 1950shis parentshad owneda boutiqueofFlorentine
artisanryat King Farouk'sCourt.
"l stilllove to wanderendlesslyin Khartoum'sOmdurman,Old Jerusalem's
and Cairo'sbazaars
searchingfor essencesand spices.Cairo is the best placein the worldto leam aboutperfume
production,"
explainsVilloresi,who beganhis careerconcoctingfragrancesfirstas a hobbyfor
friendsand then for Fendi(scentedcandles),Armani,and Trussardi.Now,althoughhis products
for the home and bath are sold at London'sFortnum& Mason,New York'sBergdorfand Barney's,
or
San Francisco'sGumps,and lsetanin Tokyo,Villoresiprefersto createpersonalized
"signature"perfumes.
Startingat around$150,usuallyVilloresi'sone-of-a-kindfragrancescost only a littlebit morethan
a brandnameand the formula-- a secret-- remainsexclusiveto its wearer.Someessences,
The most
such as cinnamon,nutmeg,sandalwoodoils, and citrusflavorsare quite inexpensive.
preciousessence-- and thereforeperfumesmade with it -- is iris root, which at $35,000per kilo
is morevaluablethan gold.
Villoresihas countedamonghis 400 regularclientsJackieKennedyOnasis,supermodelLinda
fashiondesignerRobertoCapucci,CherieBlair,Sting,Jodorowky,and Madonna.
Evangelista,
Most peoplecomealoneand in one sittingchoosesummer,winter,momingand evening
fragrances;only 5% oomeas couples,thougheveryone'soommongoal is "sexualaftraction."
"WhenCatherinede'Medicileft Florencefor Francein the 1550s.and introducedthe art of
makingperfumesto the French,the most popularfragrancewas woodbine,a fragrant
flower:everyFlorentinewore it," says Villoresi,whoseoldersisterCristinaoffers
honeysuckle
28-roomHotelVillaVilloresi,a
week-longcookingcoursesat the family'ssplendidly-frescoed
Renaissancecountryhousesix milesnorthwestof Florence(Via Ciampi2, Colonnatadi Sesto
or
e-mail:[email protected]
FAX 011-39-055-/142063,
tel.011-39-055-443212,
Fiorentino,50019,
where Lorenzocreateshis pot-pourriand homeessences,"my
[email protected]),
way to help you personalizeyour environment."
'Duringthe Renaissanceit was relativelyeasyto makea perfume.Now it's different.Peoplewant
to distinguishthemselveswith a uniqueperfume-- somethingdesignednot only as a personal
statementbut also as a moodenhancer."Since1989LorenzoVilloresihas dreamedup his scents
view over the Amo and RenaissanceFlorence.Sunoundedby
in an atticwith a breath-taking
some 1,000smallcoloredbottlesbearingsuch intriguinglabelsas "sea breeze,'"freshlycut
grass"and "damphay,' with his charmingwife Ludovicahe beginsby askingabouthis client's
favoritesmells.Thenthereis the sniffingsession.'The powerof smellis reallyincredible"he
explains."Lots of memoriesand emotionscan be evokedby a particularessence.My nose or the
client'snose is not the end-alland the be-all.A perfumeis bom in the brain."This complex
lastsan averageof two to threehoursand usuallycostsaround$1,200
olfactorypsychoanalysis
"your
very own" perfume.The quantityof each essenoeis then carefullyrecordedin a
including
personalfile, makingreorderssimple.
"An Arab emir once asked me for a fragrancethat evokeda horse at full gallop. However,the
most unusualrequestI ever created,'Villoresichuckles,"wasfor an Englishladywho wantedto
the scentof her recentlydeceasedbeloveddog. I must have beensuccessful
immortalize
startedhowlingand following
becauseas soon as she left all the straydogs in the neighborhood
her down the street."
Whencreatinga personalperfume,Villoresiusuallyblends30 to 40 essencesof the 100 or so
sniffed.'Combiningessencesis like composingmusic,"he explains."A perfumeis createdfrom
differentnotesthat take sometime to playout. lt is like a symphony,but I don'tmakeyour
perfume.You use me to makethe perfumeyou want. lt is very personaland reflectswho you are,
who you thinkyou are, and who you wouldlike to be. No otherpersondoes exactlywhat I do."
or
FAX -39-55-2345893,
at Via Bardi14, Florence,phone-39-055-2341187,
For an appointment
In additionto customfragrances,you can purchaseVilloresi'sovere-mail:[email protected].
the-counterline of perfumes,pot-pourri,lotions,and soaps,whichwere producedwith fashion
designerGiorgioArmani,someof which are availablefrom e-bay or otherwebsites,if you google
LorenzoVilloresi.His newest,"ALAMUT,"launchedat the end qf 2006in a ruby red crystalboftle
with a sterlingsilverlabeland top, has a sumptuousOrientalscent of rare and preciouswoods,
TonkinMusk,and amber.
Startinglaterthis year you'llbe ableto visit and studyat Villoresi'slatestbrainchild:The Perfume
palacenot far from his laboratory.In additionto
Academy,whichwill open in a Renaissance
coursesand seminarsofferedby the world'sgreatest'nez," it will includea perfumemuseum,a
"perfumelaboratory,"
a gardenof tropicalplants,and a smallhammam.
Farmaciadi
BeforeleavingFlorence,anothermust for perfume-loversis the beautifully-frescoed
SantaMaria Novellaat Via dellaScala 16r,-39-055-216276.lnthis etherealsetting,Dominican
fathersstill produceperfumeand otherbeautyproducts,includinglotionsfor everyskin type,
accordingto their orde/s Renaissanceformulas.Not to mentionAntica Farmaciadi San Marco al
also foundedin the 15thcentury,with its vaultedfrescoed
Via Cavour146,tel. -39-055-210604,
popularwith English
ceilingsand rowsof majolicajars. Theirspecificsincludean anti-hysteric
expatriatefadiesduringthe 19th century,and excellentrose water and eaux de cologne.
Then, to leam still more about the historyof perfumeand its production,follow in the footstepsof
a certainRenatoTombarelli,a Florentinechemist,like Bianco,in Catherinede'Medici's
entourage.He seftledin Grasseand, in part,thanksto his initiative,this charmingand peaceful
town nestledin the hills aboveCanneson the FrenchRivierahas becomethe modernperfume
capitalof the world.
Nicknamed"the city of flowers,"its omnipresentfragrancesand flowersare celebratedtwice a
year:at the Rose Expoduringthe last week of May and August'sJasmineFestival.Duringthe
rest of the year four of Grasse's30 perfumefactoriesoffer hour-longguidedtoursduringwhich
are explained.For more indepthstudy,at the International
the techniquesof perfume-making
Openeveryday,exceptpublic
(Place
8, tel. 011-33-93-368020,
du
Cours
PerfumeryMuseum
holidays,betweenJune 1 and September30 from 10AM-7PM;and from 1OAM-noon
and 2-5 PM
October1-May31, exceptclosedMondays,Tuesdays,publicholidaysand the monthof
November)all the secretsof perfumeare revealed:from the processingof raw materialsfrom the
museum'svery own greenhouse(creationof essences,distillation,extraction)to the productionof
perfumeitself. On display are a rare collectionof antiqueutensilsand perfumeboftlesfrom
ancientEgypt to the present,includingMarieAntoinette'stravel case. The nearby Fragonard
(BoulevardFragonard23, tel. 001-33-93360161)
and MolinardMuseums(BoulevardVictorHugo
FAX:011-33-93-360391
60, tel. 011-33-93-360162,
) both havefine collectionsof bottles,labels,
and documentson the historyof perfumerythroughthe ages. Fragonardis the elegant 17thcenturycountryhouse of the famouscourt painterJean-Honor6Fragonard,and Molinard'soffers
two differentoourses:StudrbVolatileand SfudrbFixateurto measureyour aptitudefor becoming
un nez or a nose. For a hands-onexperience,after a tour of the ParfumerieGalimard,you celn
create your own personalfragranceand receivea certificateas'Honorary MasterPerfumer."lt's
great fun even if your nose is not up to Villoresi'ssniff!