2# Nota di Viaggio (Shukran…) Meo Fusciuni 2011

Marrakech. Through hot streets and narrow alleys. A labyrinth, then the Djemaa el Fna, the central marketplace. A snake curled around an arm. Skewered sheep heads and henna tattoos. Fire breathers and fortune tellers. Colorful fabrics and ceramics. Paint peeling from house walls, blue, yellow, red, green, vibrant. Smoke, drums, laughter, lights, scents and smells - Marrakech lives and wafts through the night.

It is not easy to describe the scent that a city like Marrakech radiates, one that attracts strangers like a siren, drawing them deeper and deeper, right into its heart. Into the dark, narrow, dusty alleys of the Medina. A city full of life, dirt, busyness, authenticity, vibrant colors, and relaxed people. A scent that clings to hair and clothes, one that you take home and that continues to waft around and in my mind even after many washes and showers. Olfactorily, the city is a supernova, and the mixture of the unpleasant, the different, and the wonderful burns itself deep into memory. The city’s own tannery, which pushes the nose to the limits of tolerance. The dusty, dry streets of the Medina, smelling of heat, many steps, and busyness. The countless restaurants from which delicious aromas of gently simmering tagine waft. The colorful hats and scarves, smelling of many hands, warm fabrics, and colors. The little shops where the scent of argan and natural pigments lingers. And the bathrooms made of tadelakt, which smell damp and porous, like a mix of moist chalk and amber. Beautiful and terrible images of the city, as many as the beautiful and terrible scents of the city. A blend that is inherently designed to challenge and overwhelm.

Thus, experiencing the city cries out for a come-down, for a pause and relaxation. The best way to do this is in one of the many courtyard cafés with a glass of freshly brewed and highly poured mint tea, overlooking blooming plants and the water features usually installed in these courtyards for cooling. Fresh mint tea. Nothing represents Marrakech for me more. For its calm, soft, and relaxing side. Dark and strong tea made from fresh mint and green tea, heavily sweetened. Hot and cooling at the same time. Wonderful.

Even before I knew who Meo Fusciuni was or why the number 2 of his three-part Nota di Viaggio series is called Shukran (Arabic for thank you), this perfume already reminded me of Marrakech. Of those quiet courtyard moments with my mint tea, the cool air, and the view of blooming plants. Shukran is this mint tea. This cozy unwind after a tiring and eventful day in the strange yet fascinating Marrakech. This sweet glide into the night, into life, and the city’s own pull. Fresh mint, slightly herbal, a stem in the glass, a mint leaf plucked and crushed between fingers. Perhaps a hint of chamomile or sage, and otherwise sweet, heavy tea with a little wisp of smoke from a shisha somewhere. And that’s Shukran, number 2, captured. Nothing more happens, nothing else comes, except for a debate about whether the tea note is distinctly black or green and whether the tobacco note becomes a bit more dominant towards the base or not. All in all, however, number 2 develops quite causally in one direction, does not surprise with any edges or twists, and remains focused on its theme from beginning to end: mint tea. Yes, it is a bit simply structured and perhaps a little boring in the long run. The sillage and longevity are also rather average. Moreover, one might well wonder whether one wants to smell like freshly brewed mint tea or would prefer to have it in front of oneself and drink it. All of this is true, and yet Shukran is for me the most beautiful interpretation of Moroccan mint tea that I have encountered so far. And not only because Shukran smells absolutely authentic like mint tea or reminds me of those cozy courtyard moments, but because it immediately evokes images of Marrakech that otherwise only swirl loosely in my memory and rarely surface so vividly. Fascinating.

And indeed, Meo Fusciuni, or Giuseppe Imprezzabile, as his real name is, drew inspiration for his three-part fragrance series Trilogia di Viaggio (Trilogy of a Journey) from his travels to Istanbul, Sicily, and for number 2 from Morocco. The former Italian druggist, with a penchant for poetry, has been creating perfumes for several years and sells his handmade fragrances made from purely natural ingredients in his own shop in a small Italian town. Although his creations are available worldwide, they still feel like a true niche to me. Inspired by travels and poems, with joy in the process of creation and more emphasis on the love of scent in general than on the finished product, marketing, or target audience. He has followed olfactory nomadism to various countries and cities around the world, driven by the desire to capture life, the poetry of life, in perfume. And when I think about the images of Marrakech that immediately arose in me upon first smelling Shukran, he has done well, Signore Fusciuni.

2# Nota di Viaggio - Shukran - is overall an absolutely fine and authentic mint tea scent, which I personally would not wear but would love to smell again and again. A wonderful memory of Marrakech.

Marrakech, I breathe your air!