Few of my fragrances felt just right to accompany me to Italy for a few weeks like "Gucci N° 3".
First of all, the former saddlery managed to create a great masterpiece with this scent; secondly, at that time I still didn't own the "Voyage" version of Cartier's "Panthère", which was my constant companion back then.
Even with my always very extensive luggage, it would have been audacious to lug the heavy crystal bottle in the red leather case.
So "Gucci N° 3" accompanied me to Northern Italy.
This fragrance is also a child of its time: a rich chypre of noble craftsmanship.
In the opening with aldehydes, bergamot, and other green components, it resembles many of its fragrant contemporaries. -At that moment, a good acquaintance greets me.
The floral heart note is of particular olfactory richness. Alone, jasmine, lily of the valley, and rose cast their spell. Together with daffodil, rich tuberose, and the iris root, which I always find a bit unusual, all senses are already fully engaged.
A heavy, sensual base (initially dominated by musk and leather) is completed by amber, oakmoss, and other spices. These round off this fragrance creation to perfection.
"Gucci N° 3" floats full, harmonious, and mysterious, surrounding one for a long time with its unique charm.
Only after many hours does a still light trace remain.
Thus, "Gucci N° 3" was a lovely companion during my stay in Abano Terme. And of course, it couldn't be missing in Verona.
Instead of using the bus rides to the opera performances in the arena, I had pre-ordered tickets directly from the organizer and also reserved a hotel room in the city.
I didn't just want to experience the arena on the picturesque Piazza Brà; I wanted to indulge myself with a bit more time in this city.
The evening performance of "Tosca" was very successful. The security measures at this major event didn't bother me as a West Berliner: that was familiar to me. One of the heavily armed police officers even carried the two rented cushions behind me.
What a sight that must have been! First the usher, then me, all dressed up for the evening, and behind me the heavily armed man with the two green cushions!
These things later kept the poor gentleman sitting behind me busy: he had to keep picking up the cushion, originally meant for the back. He did it patiently and kindly!
(As my mother often used to say: Can you manage without all the fuss?)
The night was clear and correspondingly cool. But precisely because of that, the stars shone particularly bright during "E lucevan le Stelle"!
The next day was dedicated to a more extensive exploration of the city until my taxi driver arrived in the afternoon.
My first stop, of course, was the house of Romeo and the Casa di Giulietta in Via Capella.
I too stood in the courtyard and looked up at Juliet's balcony; touched by the tragedy of young love.
But of course, I asked myself: who were these two young people?
Created solely by William Shakespeare (or was it Christopher Marlowe)?
Or do they live in each of us? Doesn't every Juliet in us seek her very own Romeo?
However, I also wondered: how could Juliet's nurse keep complaining about her aching feet? The distance between the houses isn't that far.
In the end, I concluded that it wasn't the distance and frequency of the trips that caused the pain. No, it was surely the very bad road paving back then!
Because every woman who went to the arena in her summer shoes had to take those shoes to the cobbler the next day.
During the season in Verona, the cobblers in Abano Terme had their high season.
Those who have made it this far will rightly ask: what about the duck?
Yes, this duck appeared on stage in August 1994.
The summer was very hot; the open-air stage at Spandau Citadel had "Romeo & Juliet", performed by the "Spandauer Vagantenbühne", on the program. So: off we go!
Even that evening, despite the heat, I wore "Gucci N° 3": it was simply part of "Romeo and Juliet".
This rustic location is situated on a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Havel, lined with reeds. Therefore, the performances there also include various waterfowl as constantly changing extras.
The evening was still very warm, it was quite crowded, and a slightly shortened, somewhat parodied version of "Romeo and Juliet" delighted the audience; it would surely have pleased "Master Shakespeare" as well.
But apparently not all viewers: after the intermission, it was much emptier - not a disaster in the heat.
From the reeds, the waterfowl could be heard: the bright whistling of the coots, the ducks telling each other their goodnight stories. They formed a completely natural sound backdrop.
On the forest-fringed stage stood a scaffolding with a platform and a suggested balcony: Juliet's house.
The older lady behind me asked reluctantly: "What is that bundle of rags up there?"
The family flinched, part of the audience chuckled audibly: this bundle of rags held Romeo and Juliet!
The heart-wrenching scene began: Romeo put on his shirt and Juliet desperately asked:
"Are you already leaving? The day is still far off! It was the nightingale and not the lark!"
She didn't get to the lark. A duck had finished its own evening ritual and loudly announced itself: "Quack-quack-quack-quack!!" echoed across the open-air stage!
First, there was stunned silence - then very loud laughter!
Romeo and Juliet stood helplessly on their scaffolding. The beauty of the scene was destroyed: by a duck! The audience was rolling with laughter - those two up there had lost the thread!
It took several minutes before Romeo, somewhat dejected, finally left his Juliet and the tragedy took its course.
The final applause was loud and grateful, still interspersed with soft giggles.
It was an entirely successful evening!
(If that had been foreseeable, the RTL cameraman would surely have stayed!)
Since then, for me, "Romeo and Juliet", whether in image or sound, (and of course also "Shakespeare in Love") is accompanied by the fragrant memory of "Gucci N° 3" - and of course also a duck!
Feel free to call me an art philistine - no one can take this vivid memory away from me!
Updated on 07/21/2021
Top Notes 
Aldehydes
Coriander
Green leaves
Bergamot
Heart Notes 
Narcissus
Orris root
Rose
Jasmine
Lily of the valley
Tuberose
Base Notes 
Oakmoss
Leather
Musk
Patchouli
Vetiver
Amber
Guinevere
Greenfan1701
Minigolf
Therese
Rieke2021
FrauFu
Jennytammy
Serenissima
Skydiver19
Seerose
