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Macchia Mediterranea

7.0 / 10 33 Ratings
A perfume by Monotheme for men. The release year is unknown. The scent is green-fresh. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Green
Fresh
Fruity
Citrus
Spicy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Amalfi lemonAmalfi lemon GrapefruitGrapefruit OrangeOrange BergamotBergamot
Heart Notes Heart Notes
FigFig Green notesGreen notes JasmineJasmine WatermelonWatermelon
Base Notes Base Notes
AmberAmber MuskMusk Woody notesWoody notes
Ratings
Scent
7.033 Ratings
Longevity
5.323 Ratings
Sillage
4.819 Ratings
Bottle
6.526 Ratings
Submitted by Chemist, last update on 11/08/2025.

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Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Apicius

1328 Reviews
Apicius
Apicius
0  
Green undergrowth and a fair price
Great – a perfume cheapie cites expensive niche fragrances and has nearly the same quality!

Macchia Mediterranea is all about fig leaf. Perfume aficionados are acquainted with this note – it is sometimes used in niche perfumery. Fragrances with this note are a class of their own that has not reached the mass market so far. You come near the green scent of fig leaf – not fig - if you pick fresh leaves from a garden bush and grind them with your fingers.

Since fig trees grow under southern skies, fig leaf may count as a particular Mediterranean kind of freshness. The name Macchia Mediterranea may not be inventive, but it fits.

Macchia Mediterranea cribs – from the best known representative of this type: Philosykos by Diptyque. There, the fig leaf is compleately focussed on, and it is only accompanied by some acerbic notes. The same does Macchia Mediterranea. Personally, I am not so fond of it – the freshness of the fig leaf should not be unfurled, it should get contrasted by something different. But this is purely a matter of personal taste.

I know Philosykos or the more tender fig leaf perfumes by L'Artisan Parfumeur have their followers. Good that Monotheme now offers an inexpensive alternative. 100 ml are less than 30 €, and for this price you do not have to compromise a lot. The fig leaf note is not so much more discreet as in the Diptyque fragrance. And the only average longevity can easily be condoned.

Macchia Mediterranea is something that you can easily pick up - especially, if you are not willing to pay the full niche perfume price for this after all very special type of scent.
0 Comments
Yatagan

415 Reviews
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Yatagan
Yatagan
Top Review 12  
Overseas Telegram from Pitcairn
Currently back home on Pitcairn (South Sea). Stop. Arriving in Germany mid-June. Stop. Important advance notice about a fragrance. Stop. Affordable Monotheme reminiscent of expensive Cartier. Stop.

Dear perfume community! Since summer in Germany is currently far too changeable, I decided to return to my home island of Pitcairn in the Pacific Ocean (eastern South Sea). I brought along a very affordable fragrance for an extensive test when I set sail from Venice. In Venice, the mother of all cities, there is a fine, consistently affordable Italian fragrance manufacturer (Monotheme) that was recently honored in detail here on Parfumo, partly thanks to my predecessor Fittleworth, but also by TrialError, Angua, and Delidazo87, as well as a few other upright individuals who have made it their mission to shed light on the incredible abundance of scents from this brand.

Parfumo lists 60 Monotheme fragrances; I have only tested a few so far and will soon receive another batch of samples from a dear Parfumo member.

However, I couldn't resist one: Monotheme Macchia Mediterranea was a blind buy. The fragrance notes, the comments, and the price spoke for themselves.

Since this morning, I have been the owner of the fragrance and I am astonished. The price-performance ratio is simply incredible, especially when you can determine from the first tests that this fragrance coincidentally resembles another one that I commented on a few days ago, whose pricing is a challenge to the wallet: Cartier's L‘Heure Brilliant (VI).

Although the duel between the two fragrances remains unequal, as L‘Heure Brilliant captivates the wearer more, possessing that touch of perfection that Macchia Mediterranea lacks, considering the price difference (75 ml L‘Heure Brilliant for nearly 250.00 euros; 100 ml Macchia Mediterranea for 17.50 without shipping costs), my conclusion is as follows: L‘Heure Brilliant is, in my opinion, close to 100%, but due to its exorbitant price, I only give it 90%. Macchia Mediterranea might be more of an 80%er, but given its fair price-performance ratio, it earns a 90% from me. For those who find this not objective enough, let them remember that fragrance impressions are subjective anyway. 10% more or less: Who can really say?

About the fragrance itself: A comparison of the fragrance notes of both scents leads nowhere. While Cartier relies entirely on delicate restraint with L‘Heure Brilliant and lists only three components (aldehydes, gin, lemon), Monotheme lists a whole array of notes: various citrus fruits, green notes (presumably also the specific green aldehydes like in L‘Heure Brilliant, which could explain the kinship), fruits (especially fig), and bases like woods and the clearly recognizable musk from my perspective.

Apparently, everything revolves around the green notes from aldehydes in Monotheme's Macchia Mediterranea as well, which were integrated more skillfully by Cartier and contain a longer sour-bitter note (especially the gin-vermouth note). In Monotheme, after a short pleasantly sour opening, a pleasant green tone quickly sets in (which, similar to L‘Heure Brilliant, suggests a note of pistachio ice cream), but it quickly becomes flatter, appears less complex, and remains sweeter because the consistently bitter note of vermouth is missing; bitterness is only briefly taken over in the top note by grapefruit. This may be a weakness of the fragrance, but it could make it easier to wear for women, actually giving it a distinct unisex note, even though the fragrance is marketed by the manufacturer - and consequently also by Parfumo - as a men's fragrance.

Another small flaw of the Monotheme fragrance might be the poorer longevity and sillage, but a highlight is the incredibly beautiful, high-quality round bottle, which stands out pleasantly from the monotony of many other brands on one hand and the exaggerated glitter world of the mainstream on the other.

And now I also consciously see the introductory sentence from Apicius, who already hit the nail on the head in the first comment on Macchia Mediterranea: This beautiful fragrance "quotes expensive niche fragrances." There is really something to that.

Now I urgently need to take care of my property on Pitcairn. The last tropical storm has devastated everything again. As I heard, it is hardly better for you in Germany.

End of the telegram: Give Monotheme a chance. Stop. The brand deserves more attention. Stop.
22 Comments
Fittleworth

89 Reviews
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Fittleworth
Fittleworth
Top Review 16  
Magical Place
Silence.
Silence, time, and sun.

This is the Macchia. A sea of green-gray shrubs, towering high, interrupted by rugged rocks shimmering in the blazing light.

Broom blooms here, rockrose, lavender, and thyme.
Juniper lines the steep, stony paths.
Fig trees, laurel, and myrtle …

And above all, this great, brightly shining silence.

One wants to capture it, this harsh, bitter, spicy scent, to take it along, to preserve it.
For the darker days that will come, when one wants to remember the sun of the Mare Mediterraneum …

Macchia Mediterranea.
A quiet, light, citrus accord opens this fragrance.
Soft, bright, unobtrusive, and green-golden, it frames the spicy aroma of fig leaves, which are present from the very beginning.
The bitter-sweetness of the fig is tempered by the bitter notes of grapefruit, which pave the way for the dark-fresh, green notes of thyme and the bright tones of rosemary.
Is there a hint of jasmine wafting in with the warm wind …?

The gnarled, thick, twisted trunks of the old fig trees glow in the afternoon sun.
The scent of their bark mingles with that of lavender and the salty spray of the nearby beach.

Timeless is the Macchia.
And above all lies that sunlit silence, only broken by the sound of the waves crashing.
13 Comments
Gschpusi

302 Reviews
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Gschpusi
Gschpusi
7  
Summer Time, Teen Time at the Pool in the 80s
Ahh... I'm still completely blown away by memories *laugh*
Otherwise, I'm not very interested in men's fragrances, or those labeled as such, on me.
A dear friend from the perfume world gave me a few Monotheme samples, and this one caught my attention right away.

You might not get much from this, but I'll tell you what immediately came to mind, what feelings were awakened when I sprayed Macchia Mediterranea.

Many summer days in the 80s suddenly flashed through my mind. My regular pool, my clique, the lifeguards, where we girls constantly hung out because of the cute boys, swimming, frolicking, being silly, first attempts at flirting, waiting in line at the kiosk, buying sweets for a few pennies and a bowl of fries for 1.50 DM, sunscreen, a T-shirt over my bikini, and laughing, laughing, laughing.

Ahh.... It was soooo beautiful *sigh*

The scent itself is truly like summer. I almost thought there was a hint of coconut in it, but ultimately it's the fig and amber that dominate for my nose at first. To me, it smells like suntan oil mixed with sunscreen, sunshine, vacation, green plants starting to bloom.
After a while, the fig takes a back seat, and what remains is something light, citrusy, paired with a bit of musk and something herbal, which is surely the woody note. Every now and then, the fig flashes again and brushes past you like the wind when you're riding your bike home along the fields after a wonderfully beautiful day at the pool. The wind in your hair, the lush fields, and that smell of summer that has always brought a smile to your lips. Bliss... Yes.

This scent is not just for men. Not at all!
BUT.... The bottle should be large because unfortunately, this fragrance - like most scents from Monotheme - doesn't last long.

Maybe I could give you a little summer feeling. Every nose perceives differently, but for me, this is MY "Summer in the 80s memory scent."
4 Comments

Statements

4 short views on the fragrance
14
7
Monotheme impresses again with its value for money! You have to like fig, green, partly citrusy fresh notes, and musk.
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7 Comments
2
The citrus blast is followed by fig cream. Overall a nice scent, but the longevity and sillage are poor. This fig fragrance won't be for me.
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0 Comments
10 years ago
3
Lightly tangy fruity summer scent with a distinct fig note
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0 Comments
10 years ago
3
A lovely, powdery-green fig scent for fans of Philosykos.
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0 Comments

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