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searching for the bitter orange tree
We find ourselves on an Italian island, in the middle of Lago Maggiore, in a somewhat wild garden of a hidden palazzo named “Oranzo”.
“Oranzo” is derived from the Latin word “Aurantum”, which means orange tree.
And it is precisely this scent trail that we now follow through the spicy green. Tarragon, rosemary, and many “green” aromas from shrubs and undergrowth, which awaken the senses simply by their fragrant presence but do not reveal their names, accompany us.
“Hora di pranzo” - lunchtime: Everyone is having lunch, while we wander around here.
Typical tourists!
It is quiet, only the lazy singing of birds and the splashing of a small fountain that we encounter along the way accompany us through the shady coolness: Cool water falls here into a stone basin. How delicious it tastes and how refreshing it is.
Where will we find him, our blooming bitter orange tree?
To our side stands a small grove of clementine trees, which, full of fruits of different ripeness and colors, smell enticingly.
They too are sleeping in the midday heat, but it is precisely through them that the warm air surrounding us is invigoratingly perfumed: Fresh, sweet - simply citrusy!
Some fruits call out: Pick me! Done!
Do we really have to go into the labyrinth now?
Is the legendary bitter orange tree, about which so much is talked, standing in its center?
It is a bit eerie between the tall green hedges, which have probably not been tended to for a long time; leaves and small, also needle-like branches (Are those dark ones yews?) narrow some already narrow paths; they lie as cushions under our feet and exude the aromas of deep dark green.
Oh, I would love to turn back!
But there he is suddenly: The old bitter orange tree, surrounded by the special scent of bitter oranges, with petitgrain, over which the wonderfully enchanting neroli floats, the scent of its porcelain white flowers with the thick yellow stamens.
This scent owes its name to Duchess Flavia of Orsini, the Princess of Nerola.
Thanks to her enthusiasm, all of Italy was in a neroli fragrance frenzy from the end of the 17th century, until Johann Maria Farina, the perfumer who emigrated to Cologne, made her (and her Hesperides relatives) world-famous with his “Cologne Water”.
In “Oranzo”, the bittersweet orange blossom scent, “Princess Neroli” now rests on a bed of dense, warm musk clouds and thousands of white jasmine flowers:
What a sensually soft resting place in the shade of the so vibrant, aromatic bitter orange tree in the middle of the labyrinth of a wild, mysterious garden on one of the Borromean Islands in the blue lake.
Can a fragrance tell a more beautiful story?
Sylvaine Delacourte manages this feat time and again; so too with the scents of her “Collection Fleur d’Oranger”, which I am testing and whose charming personality I enjoy.
I particularly like “Oranzo”, as here the orange blossom is not only pure tenderness and sweetness, but gains a charismatic depth through its origin as part of the bitter orange that immediately enchants me.
This Sunday morning in January is still gray and foggy, and therefore “Oranzo” will accompany me for the next few hours.
I think that is a good choice!
Good morning!
“Oranzo” is derived from the Latin word “Aurantum”, which means orange tree.
And it is precisely this scent trail that we now follow through the spicy green. Tarragon, rosemary, and many “green” aromas from shrubs and undergrowth, which awaken the senses simply by their fragrant presence but do not reveal their names, accompany us.
“Hora di pranzo” - lunchtime: Everyone is having lunch, while we wander around here.
Typical tourists!
It is quiet, only the lazy singing of birds and the splashing of a small fountain that we encounter along the way accompany us through the shady coolness: Cool water falls here into a stone basin. How delicious it tastes and how refreshing it is.
Where will we find him, our blooming bitter orange tree?
To our side stands a small grove of clementine trees, which, full of fruits of different ripeness and colors, smell enticingly.
They too are sleeping in the midday heat, but it is precisely through them that the warm air surrounding us is invigoratingly perfumed: Fresh, sweet - simply citrusy!
Some fruits call out: Pick me! Done!
Do we really have to go into the labyrinth now?
Is the legendary bitter orange tree, about which so much is talked, standing in its center?
It is a bit eerie between the tall green hedges, which have probably not been tended to for a long time; leaves and small, also needle-like branches (Are those dark ones yews?) narrow some already narrow paths; they lie as cushions under our feet and exude the aromas of deep dark green.
Oh, I would love to turn back!
But there he is suddenly: The old bitter orange tree, surrounded by the special scent of bitter oranges, with petitgrain, over which the wonderfully enchanting neroli floats, the scent of its porcelain white flowers with the thick yellow stamens.
This scent owes its name to Duchess Flavia of Orsini, the Princess of Nerola.
Thanks to her enthusiasm, all of Italy was in a neroli fragrance frenzy from the end of the 17th century, until Johann Maria Farina, the perfumer who emigrated to Cologne, made her (and her Hesperides relatives) world-famous with his “Cologne Water”.
In “Oranzo”, the bittersweet orange blossom scent, “Princess Neroli” now rests on a bed of dense, warm musk clouds and thousands of white jasmine flowers:
What a sensually soft resting place in the shade of the so vibrant, aromatic bitter orange tree in the middle of the labyrinth of a wild, mysterious garden on one of the Borromean Islands in the blue lake.
Can a fragrance tell a more beautiful story?
Sylvaine Delacourte manages this feat time and again; so too with the scents of her “Collection Fleur d’Oranger”, which I am testing and whose charming personality I enjoy.
I particularly like “Oranzo”, as here the orange blossom is not only pure tenderness and sweetness, but gains a charismatic depth through its origin as part of the bitter orange that immediately enchants me.
This Sunday morning in January is still gray and foggy, and therefore “Oranzo” will accompany me for the next few hours.
I think that is a good choice!
Good morning!
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