Actually, I just wanted to share a little story from the Balearic Islands.
After successfully refusing to visit these islands my whole life out of embarrassment, a few years ago I finally let myself be persuaded by some insistent Spanish friends to spend a few days in their little house in a small and quiet village in Mallorca.
What can I say: the deepest, coldest, and darkest winter in Germany, but spring in Mallorca - a dream. I’ll spare you further details in these somewhat travel-restricted times, although the great Joseph Hader already knew: “Imagination grows with the limitation of possibilities” (or something like that).
Quickly passing through the deserted tourist hotspots just to see what they look like, we spent most of our time in nature. Behind our little village, the mountains began, and our extensive walks took us past an old Palacio, near which fields with countless orange trees stood. Of course, we picked, ate, and packed as many as we could from the trees, as these gardens had clearly not been tended to for years.
In the early evening, sitting by the fireplace of the old, cozy farmhouse, stories were told, laughter was shared, dinner was planned, and we enjoyed the freshly picked oranges.
The problem with my Spanish skills is that I probably speak well enough to not receive much consideration, but too poorly to catch any sideways details thrown from the corner of someone’s mouth.
The crucial information I missed in this round was: “Eat as many oranges as you want, but not THAT ONE there, that’s an inedible bitter orange.”
[START SLOWMOTION]
….in which I slowly peel that bitter orange, gazing at it with delight and then taking a huge bite with great pleasure….
[STOP SLOWMOTION]
What followed was an unbelievably intense physical experience, probably comparable in its intensity to only a few legal things. No, no, it wasn’t a high, but: this simply unfathomable bitterness that seized my body was so extreme that EVERY single hair on my body stood on end.
My only moderately lush hairstyle stood straight up in the air. The bitterness hit me with massive force, every millimeter of skin - and it was so incredibly overwhelming that I had the most legendary, tear-filled laughter fit of my life. Speaking due to the laughter was absolutely impossible for five infinitely long minutes.
Due to my impaired ability to articulate, I couldn’t explain to anyone what had happened, and when I finally caught my breath, I pointed to the orange remains while laughing, sniffling, and blowing my nose. And then it started again, because everyone suddenly understood what had happened and was rolling on the floor laughing. Of course, every Iberian knows that you DO NOT eat those things.
Well, in any case, the evening was henceforth bathed in orange light for me, and my stay in Mallorca had found another, if not THE highlight.
But how does CHINOTTO DI LIGURIA smell?
Bitter orange with a robust and juicy fruitiness all around, yet no orange juice note (like, for example, in Orange Sanguine by AC), which often leaves me cold. Immediately, the dark floral and aromatic fullness of jasmine blossoms comes into play, which reminds me a bit of the warmth of AZZARO pH.
It probably smelled completely different than I remember, but I always associated it with a moving and warm physicality that is also echoed by CHINOTTO DI LIGURIA.
Soft musk rounds off the fragrance at the bottom, but never takes away the pinch of masculinity with its distinct, yet not overpowering patchouli note. This is also the part of the fragrance that makes it not seem very compatible with women for me, but every nose decides that subjectively for itself.
By the way, I only really notice the patchouli when I wear the fragrance on my skin. Otherwise, I prefer to wear it on fabric; partly to protect my body & skin, and partly because the fragrance retains the freshness and acidity of the wonderful top notes much longer.
AdP has some beautiful fragrances available, and besides BERGAMOTO DI CALABRIA (which Frau Stulle has snagged for herself), CHINOTTO DI LIGURIA is definitely my favorite so far.
Updated on 07/25/2021
Top Notes 
Chinotto
Mandarin orange
Heart Notes 
Jasmine
Geranium
Rosemary
Cardamom
Base Notes 
Musk
Patchouli
Stacia
WoodMoose
Topfpflanze3
JGL
Tombbb
Emorandeira
Pinseltown
Konst121
NuiWhakakore
Gandix
