Caterina de' Medici Spezierie Palazzo Vecchio 1994 Eau de Parfum

Currently, I am discovering the fragrances of 'l Profumi di Firenze' with great pleasure. This one has been on my wishlist for a long time. Chamomile in the fragrance pyramid makes me very curious. The lovely Serenissima made it possible for me to finally sniff CdM.

And it really starts beautifully: The combination of peach, chamomile, and mandarin is dreamy. The two fruits give the clear fresh floral quality of the chamomile a gentle fruity touch.

My dilemma begins when the flowers of the heart note come into play. Do you know that feeling? A single fragrance note that you know you don’t (really) like, and it ruins the entire scent for you. For me, with CdM, it’s the hyacinth. I like it in the garden when the air occasionally carries its strong soapy, piercing, and almost suffocating scent. I like it then because it tells of spring. As a flower in the living room, it is hardly bearable, and this also applies to me in perfume. No matter how minuscule the amount it is present in, it definitely finds my nose, and almost all the time.

Rose and iris, which made me hope that they would send the hyacinth back to its place, are immediately driven away. The lily of the valley remains, which I have come to find quite likable, but in this case, it only intensifies the piercing soapiness of the hyacinth. CdM is kindly not a strong scent for me, so I still wanted to test it for a few days, hoping to simply ignore the unloved bloom and perhaps coax out the rose and iris. Unfortunately, that didn’t work, no matter how much I enjoyed the top note. That would definitely be worth a full 10 points to me...

By the time CdM reaches the base, the scent has become so weak that I have quite a bit of trouble recognizing anything slightly mossy and greenish.

Sometimes I wish I could just snip the fragrance pyramid to my liking. Here, I would immediately take the scissors to the top note: Snip snap!

"Caterina de' Medici": one of those, a "dei Medici"!
This family, which so profoundly shaped Florence, without which the Renaissance is hardly imaginable, also has an influential woman among its ranks. And at that time!

The girl Caterina was married to France in 1533, just fourteen years old!
As the wife of King Henry II, she long stood in the shadow of Henry's "Maitresse en Titre," the beautiful Diane de Poitiers. Who doesn't know her?
Only as the mother of her sons Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III did she gain significant political influence.
Her ambition was - as could be expected - to secure the position of the crown in France through partly refined, partly strategically excellent maneuvers.
Without her, French history would surely have developed quite differently.
Thus, Caterina de' Medici is not only a shining star in the history of France. She is also connected to one of its darkest hours: purely out of power calculation, she initiated the so-called "St. Bartholomew's Night" on the night of August 23 to 24, 1572.
The Renaissance indeed stands not only for enlightenment and wonderful developments of all "fine arts." It was also bloodthirsty and power-obsessed: this must not be forgotten!

However, all this did not tarnish the reputation of "Madama."
On the contrary: in France and also in her hometown Florence, she was revered as a great woman.

How could it be otherwise, this woman also had her own fragrances.
Thus, the "Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella" created the incomparable "Acqua della Regina" for her!
(see also: "The Gallery of Scents" - a novel by Julia Fischer; a "Parfumo" recommendation.)

"I Profumi di Firenze" was not to be outdone. Thus, "Caterina de' Medici" was born.
I really like the fragrances from this perfume manufactory. They remain something truly special in this vast world of scents: a niche where it feels like every perfume is still created with good old craftsmanship.
I believe Yatagan would agree with me here.

Thus, "Caterina de' Medici" is also a fragrance creation that lives up to its name.
It gives its wearer something extraordinary: a personality that will not be forgotten easily. It skillfully emphasizes what is already there (even if only on the periphery).
"Caterina de' Medici" still reminds of a fascinating woman, even when she has long left the room.
And not only through extraordinarily long-lasting power!

Here, the entire scent of the dream city Florence has been captured and bottled.
Very simply designed flacons; but more would be too much!
"Caterina de' Medici" adorns itself; it needs no elaborate ambiance.

Our walk outside the city walls leads us into the vastness of the Campagna.
The first thing to encounter there is chamomile!
Delightfully fragrant chamomile that lets all unrest fall away and caresses the nose!
Ripe, sweet peach and fruity mandarin mix cheerfully and full-bodied.
Thus, a fruity, slightly spicy scent introduction is created!
Iris fields as far as the eye can see open the sequence of an opulent floral heart.
Rose and the white sensual tuberose, hyacinths, and many beautiful lily of the valley: they all form a harmonious whole.
A floral abundance that marries excellently with the fruity-spicy entrée.
All of this is already a deeply appealing liaison for the senses.
Skillfully dosed benzoin and vetiver unite with the earthy depth of oak moss.
As if our walk were leading through a small grove with enchanted, somewhat overgrown paths.
The clove, finally, is the "Non Plus-Ultra."
Its unmistakable sweet-spicy scent, which we know from the kitchen, here sets "the keystone," to borrow from Florentine architecture!

"Caterina de' Medici" has class, has style!
It makes one dream of velvet, silk, and lace, of whispered gallantries in enchanted alcoves - and it is at the same time so classic and modern as to be bearable!
The fragrance expects a certain nobility from its wearer.
When everything fits together and both have found each other, then a piece of pure Renaissance reveals itself in its most beautiful facets.