Transport yourself to southern Italy’s Reggio Calabria with this dreamy new bergamot scent
Aqua di Parma BERGAMOTTO DI CALABRIA LA SPUGNATURA
While summer holidays are still somewhat precarious, allow yourself to be transported to the sun soaked fruit fields of southern Italy’s Reggio Calabria; an area famous among fragrance aficionados for its production of bergamot, the prince of citrus fruits.
The 140-year-old Capua 1880 is a fifth-generation family-run producer of citrus fruit essential oils. However, it’s their historic artisan methods of extracting the bergamot oil that makes them so unique – and it is for this precious hand-extracted oil that Acqua di Parma decided to collaborate with them.
Aqua di Parma BERGAMOTTO DI CALABRIA LA SPUGNATURA
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Introducing Bergamotto Di Calabria La Spugnatura, the latest scent by the Italian fragrance house. As the name suggests, bergamot is the shining star of this limited edition eau de toilet. There are also floral accents and notes of juicy mandarin and bitter orange, designed to further amplify the splendour of the bergamot essential oil.
Unlike regular mechanical Bergamot extraction methods, ‘With the sponge we have the chance to collect exclusively the oil contained in the peel,’ notes Gianfranco Capua, the Capua 1880 CEO. He explains that in modern mechanical methods, the peel impacts the finished product and the scent is not as intense.
Aqua di Parma BERGAMOTTO DI CALABRIA LA SPUGNATURA
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This traditional extraction technique, developed in 1700, is called Spugnatura, meaning sponging, and is the way in which the bergamot oil is extracted without any contamination from the peel. First the fruit is washed and cut in half. Next up the flesh is scooped out using a spoon called a cavatore and the remaining skin is carefully rubbed onto a sea sponge. The oils are absorbed by the sponge which are subsequently squeezed out. While this ritual may sound simple, it is a delicate craft that takes years to perfect. The Capua family are now the only remaining practitioners of this totally manual technique.
BERGAMOTTO DI CALABRIA LA SPUGNATURA by Acqua di Parma
And to further highlight this artisan nature of the scent, when it came to creating the bottle, the maison broke from their usual glass vessel and opted for a ceramic one: a hand-poured porcelain bottle (and lid), decorated with hand-painted whimsical illustrations of the golden fruit.
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura, £105.40 for 100ml, johnlewis.com
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Published at Fri, 30 Apr 2021 11:07:15 +0000
Article source: https://www.tatler.com/article/acqua-di-parma-bergamotto-di-calabria-la-spugnatura-new-fragrance