Luciano Soprani Luciano Soprani 2013

Over 30 years ago, I lived in Rome. How I got there is another long and exciting story.
I experienced many adventures there that could have come straight out of a Fellini film. Including a wild escape and a chase through all of Rome by a jealous Roman or a bank robbery right in front of my nose. (The people around me disappeared into nearby shops, and I, who only knew such a scenario from movies, stood frozen at the roadside while the bad guys zoomed past me on motorcycles with guns.) And much more. However, I loved this city and the people there. The Romans are still a special people, full of zest for life. They love the beautiful things in life: time with friends, music: opera, good food, fashion, and beautiful clothing. I especially appreciate Italian furniture and lamp design and am a big fan of the great Achille Castiglioni. Then the Italians, besides having the best ice cream in the world and the most beautiful shoes, also have the vast world of fragrances.

Italian fragrances are, for me personally, among the most beautiful in the world, and they were my entry into this olfactory universe. I can still remember my then (unlike today;-) modest collection very well. There were, if I think back consciously today, almost only Italians - on my mirror and makeup table stood: Teatro alla Scala by Krizia, Fendi by Fendi, Rare by Jacomo (the only exception, but could have been Italian in style), Gucci No1 by Gucci, Armani by Armani, the enchanting and then very expensive spring fragrance Blumarine by Blumarine, and the dearly loved, beautiful, and timeless Valentino by Valentino, which I still own and love. Last but not least, there was the fragrance I discovered in southern Italy on Ischia. It was Luciano Soprani by Luciano Soprani. I still remember how it caught my eye in an exclusive perfumery, the beautiful, puristic, and elegant bottle, it spoke directly to me: try me, you won't regret it, and that's exactly what I did!
It was different from the fragrances I had; today I would say bold! I liked it right away, it suited me. I wore it often, and along with the ones mentioned above, it was one of my favorite fragrances.

Many years have passed, and I had almost completely forgotten about it, helped by the fact that it is very hard to find and practically invisible; even in Italy, you have to search for a long time before you find it. Although still in production, it is very rare. (unfortunately no longer available now)
I had the perfume in a rectangular bottle in my possession.
Through the Parfumo forum, I remembered it again (thank you!), started searching, and I found it on the well-known marketplace. There was also the same perfume bottle, but relatively expensive with shipping from Italy; then I saw a German provider offering Eau de Toilette (at the time I had it, there was only the perfume) 100 ml at a very moderate price. I thought to myself, I'll try this first before I plunge into expenses for a fragrance that I might not even like anymore today. It wasn't clear if it was really the same; the packaging was indeed puristic white with gray writing just like back then, but the shape of the bottle was round - I wasn't sure.

And then it arrived. And... it is it, it really is!!! I feel transported back in time! I feel the warm and mild air of Rome on my skin, see the 7 hills, the pine trees, the cypress trees, the acacias, stroll along the Via Appia, eat ice cream at Piazza Navona, go out for pizza with Italian friends, and later dance in Trastevere. I drink Prosecco, laugh a lot, and yes, I also flirt with a handsome Roman with black hair and green, laughing eyes.

But how is this forgotten Italian now? Do I still like it? Can I wear it, does it still suit me? Now that I am a different woman who sometimes only vaguely remembers the carefree girl from back then... yes, it is still beautiful! Even though a child of its time (so use sparingly), it is an elegant, fruity, floral, warm, and very feminine fragrance.
Very complex in its components, and it is hard to say whether the mandarin is more reminiscent of orange, whether the rose or the tuberose dominates, or whether the lily of the valley comes through. Everything is very well composed, making it difficult to determine the individual components and notes. I can say with certainty that I do not smell civet (which I do not like). It has nothing animalistic in it. Amber rounds off the fragrance, sandalwood makes it more sensual. Aldehydes are very restrained, with no association to Chanel at all.
The EDT has such a strong sillage and longevity that it comes very close to the EDP. By today's standards in terms of intensity, it is like EDP.

It is definitely like a bold and attentive Italian lover who does something good and important for a woman: highlighting her femininity. And that is ultimately what I expect from a good fragrance!
No, even after 20 years, it does not disappoint me; it is no longer the impetuous and uncritical love of back then; I now know more beautiful, better, and more interesting fragrances, many (how could it be otherwise? :-) from Italy.
But I still like it very much. Because it is beautiful and unique in its kind. And time has not been able to change that.