Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura Acqua di Parma 2021

A delightful aroma of bergamot and orange unfolds. Giant fennel adds a gentle, soft touch to this calming citrus scent.

The composition of this fragrance is surprisingly simple. It's clear that the focus is on appreciating the pure charm of precious, hand-picked ingredients. The citrus fruits, bathed in abundant sunshine, brighten our hearts.

The subtle bitterness of the bergamot peel is gently enveloped by the sweet, spicy aroma of fennel, elevating into a mellow, blissful flavor. It's as if the explosive energy and gentle sweetness you feel when you split a fruit in half with your own hands in a Calabrian orchard have merged.

Experience the true essence of bergamot! This is a limited edition and difficult to obtain, but even just tasting the precious, hand-picked ingredients will allow you to truly feel the wonderful blessings of life.

Getting a tan on the rocky coast line of Sicily. The heat and salty water getting covered by fresh Amalfi lemon that refreshes your body and mind in the afternoon sun.

A crisp and citric scent that has some history. Not only limited, because of the difficult process of production, but also a phenomenal bottle design made of porcelain!

This is a true piece of art. From the scent to the bottle it is a must have for someone looking for the perfect summer freshie, giving you a great value of citrus and summer breeze!

This scent reminds me of so many great summer days and is absolute neutral. It can be worn by all genders and will not miss to excite you day by day. Heatwave by Heatwave.

This one feels a bit heavy, especially compared to other Acqua di Parma offerings. Without looking at the notes, aside from maybe some freshness in the very beginning, I mostly get subdued leather vibes with hints of resin. No smokiness. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of leather (or stuff which reminds me of it) in most fragrances, so, unsurprisingly, I'm not drawn to this one either. But it's also not pungent or even particularly strong — just heavy, and somewhat boring. So while I don't like it, I also don't hate it. I could see this working nicely for some people, but for me personally it's a pass.

Receiving a package from Acqua di Parma is always a delight. Just the lovingly crafted packaging with silk paper, the egg-yolk yellow and dark blue boxes and jars made of wonderfully textured paper are occasionally worth the luxury of a blind order! This time, I actually only wanted to repurchase the excellent shower gel (to match Colonia), but the notes of the new, limited fragrance from the blue series sounded so tempting that I broke all my promises of never making spontaneous fragrance purchases again - and, I must confess, with great inner pleasure.

Blu Mediterraneo - Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura: What a name! Let it roll off your tongue and savor it - you will immediately feel transported to the picturesque coastal villages of Calabria. And a first cautious spray from the truly exceptionally beautiful flacon significantly contributes to olfactorily enhancing this fantasy. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, lean back and relax, because now you are diving right into the Hesperides grove of your dreams. Everything is there: bitter, citrusy-zesty, sweet-orange, herbaceous, and juicy-green - and together, it creates an extremely enticing and promising opening, where the namesake bergamot always remains in the foreground. But one should not praise the daydream before the evening, as some of the blue Acquas have already whisked me away with their top notes, only to either shamefully leave me in the lurch or disappoint me with a lukewarm, generic base.

With “La Spugnatura,” this refreshing clear opening continues delightfully long. It only gradually transforms into a slightly softer direction. To call it floral would be too much. It’s more like catching a hint of floral scent in addition to the fruits of the orange and bergamot trees. If I were to name it, I would say floral-green, as it remains without sweetness for my nose.

As the afternoon progresses, the fragrance evolves and becomes pleasantly herbaceous-green by evening. Unmistakably, two of my favorite notes push to the forefront: vetiver and galbanum make “La Spugnatura” softer and deeper, giving it new fullness. Mentally, the scents transport me to a terrace, a glass of wine in hand, the sun is setting, and finally, a breeze from the mountains brings fresh, moist air and perhaps a hint of coolness.

The fragrance with the melodious name accompanied me in the past days to the office, on a bike ride, and on long walks. It is an unobtrusive companion, yet carries a lot of elegance and Italian spirit. It reminds me (not of the scent, but of the feeling of life!) of the classic Colonia from the same house, which I occasionally sneak from my husband’s fragrance cabinet. I will surely empty the 100 ml bottle with the beautiful stylized bergamot decor over the course of the summer - and I must confess that I like this limited edition much better than the regular Bergamotto di Calabria. And I’m already starting to wonder if a bunker flacon wouldn’t be an extremely sensible idea, thus willfully pushing aside the fact that my perfume drawers are bursting at the seams and I had sworn to finally radically reduce my collection.

P.S.: A few words about the addition in the name “La Spugnatura.” In my treasure chest from Italy, there was a small flyer describing the process used for the fragrance. The bergamots are processed by hand - a spoon-sized mini rake is used to extract the pulp. The peel is then pressed onto sea sponges, which absorb the bergamot essence. Apparently, this is a method that has been used since ancient times and is said to be suitable for obtaining a special variety of aromas. Be that as it may - the result is an extremely delightful summer fragrance, and I heartily recommend a test to all lovers of bergamot scents.

Yesterday, my sample of Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura finally arrived in my mailbox. I was really looking forward to the scent, as I am a fan of Acqua di Parma and always excited about every new fragrance that comes to market from them. I can tell you right away that I really like Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura and the bergamot note is truly perfectly executed. Now, here comes the catch: I wouldn't buy Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura in a full bottle if the bottle design isn't a priority for someone. The difference from the regular Bergamotto di Calabria feels too small to justify more than double the price. Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura smells a bit more natural due to the sponge technique used and lasts a bit longer, but that’s not enough for me to justify the significantly higher price. Now, I would like to briefly discuss the scent itself: Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura smells, as the name suggests, mainly of bergamot, with a slight grapefruit and orange note for me, which are surrounded by cedarwood and vetiver, thus enhancing the longevity. The scent is fresh and slightly woody, making Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura the perfect unisex fragrance for me.

In conclusion, I can say that Bergamotto di Calabria La Spugnatura has certainly convinced me, but not enough to justify a purchase, as I can get almost 300 ml of the regular Bergamotto di Calabria for the same price with a bit of luck.