Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa is a classically soapy Italian-style fragrance. It's marketed as a "woody-leather" fragrance, but that doesn't really mesh with the impression that it gives - if anything, I'd say it's closer to a fougere (more on that later).
The top notes hit with a very sharp, almost bitter, pithy citrus. It's not "rindy" like D&G Light Blue Forever, nor is it sweet like so many other citruses. It smells like the white gunk in between the rind and the fruit - sharp, acidic, and a little abrasive.
Fortunately, that impression fades pretty quickly (although the citrus does remain), but it's almost immediately replaced by old-school brown cake soap - the kind your grandad may have used. It's thoroughly masculine and smells delightfully clean, but again, it's not a "modern" soapiness, like how the Prada l'Homme line is "soapy" and "clean". This is a "hairy-chested '70s Italian man, fresh out of the shower, reaching for his bottle of original Paco Rabanne Pour Homme", kind of soapy.
The odd thing is, there really isn't a proper "dry down" here. This "vaguely citrusy, old-school soapy" scent profile just rides out for the next several hours (upwards of 6 so far, today), without any real evolution. There's a minimal sort of warm woodiness that reminds me of the scent of the library at my grandfather's house - old woods and a touch of spice, married to extreme cleanliness - which does bring a bit of sweetness to it, but it's a pretty consistently sharp scent throughout.
Performance-wise, it's got pretty minimal sillage (someone 3–4 feet away from me says he can't smell it, and I went *quite* heavy on the trigger), but it nevertheless has a pretty solid duration - it just sits close to the skin.
Within its genre, I would say this is a pretty middle-of-the-road fragrance. When you consider that it's often *quite* pricey, honestly, I have a hard time recommending it. If you can grab it for around $50-$60, it's a pretty good deal, but any more than that, and there are better options available, in my opinion. If you're curious, I've listed a few below:
- Acqua Essenziale Colonia from Salvatore Ferragamo hits almost the exact same notes, but with a wonderful sweet bergamot and orange blossom accord cutting the sharpness off the top. It was also created by Alberto Morillas, one of the two noses behind AdPCI.
- Dior Eau Sauvage (*Eau* Sauvage, not the Johnny Depp Sauvage) gives the same general impression with much more smoothness - and the parfum version is a true love of mine. The Parfum was also created by François Demachy, the other nose behind this scent.
- And finally, if you want to shell out the money, something like Terralba or Sleight of Fern from Masque Milano will fill that same role in your line-up, while taking that sharpness in far more interesting directions. And yes, if you were wondering, Sleight of Fern IS a fougere - to be frank, AdPCI has more in common with them, scent profile-wise, than it does with other "woody leather" fragrances.
All-in-all, it's a pretty solid day-time, warmer-weather fragrance that will offend no-one by virtue of its sillage, but also offers very little in the way of evolution or modernity. I like it well enough, but I'm also in my mid-30s, and it hits me pretty hard in the nostalgia.
7.5/10. If you can find it for a good price, get it. If not, there are other things that can do the same general "thing", arguably better.
Top Notes 
Sicilian lemon
Calabrian bergamot
Cardamom
Ginger
Heart Notes 
Neroli
Artemisia
Myrtle
Base Notes 
Cedarwood
Benzoin
Leather
Musk
Patchouli
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