Vendetta Uomo by Valentino

Valentino Vendetta Uomo is difficult to handle. It begins with animalic leather and oud, although the decant doesn’t declare them. Sometimes the oud and leather get confused in their animality. It’s a drastic leather, not softened like in some Guccis, raw and fierce, like the tanneries in Fez where the hides are stored untreated. But quickly it takes on citrus: bergamot, basil, and lemon, creating a curious scent that strips away the animal side and adds freshness, making it more accessible while retaining power and ferocity. Minutes later, labdanum and benzoin resins mix with cedar, increasing the complexity. It’s very well constructed. Up close it’s masculine and sharp, but at a distance the Valentina emerges: the unmistakable iris mixed with jasmine, cinnamon, amber, and tonka bean, evoking Guerlain. From afar it becomes feminine, sweet, calming, and enveloping. As it dries, it mutates from leather to chypre, dominated by mountain resins. Shadowy notes of patchouli and moss awaken that typical forest greenery. It’s intense, for special occasions, masculine, nocturnal, and serious. For marked personalities who know what they want. Courtesy of Jerry Drake.

Piero Piccioni, the genius of Italian film music, composed over 300 scores. Almost 10 months ago, due to my melomania, I discovered his work. ‘Nights to Come’ would be the perfect soundtrack: a protagonist smoking on the balcony of a luxury 14th-floor flat, Rome’s lights turning on against a violet autumn sunset, 1974 CinemaScope. An Interpol agent waits for the wife of a politician linked to the mafia in Italy and Switzerland. She ends up in his bed after venting her thirst for revenge against her toxic husband and breaking her ‘golden cage’. She lights another cigarette, she meditates, and the music returns: ‘It’s Possible’. This is Vendetta Uomo, a beautiful tragedy, the darkest expression of Mediterranean concepts that never settled on a raw, amber leather with a strong floral citrus accent. Theresa and Edmond Roudnitska threw the scripts out the window searching for this creation; he went bald and she found love with a mechanic. Valentino enters with his right foot, faithful to his Italian heritage: here there is no docility, only character and impact, a requirement for this select group of international police. The story closes with a tragic 1974 Rome; he lights a cigarette, his bottle-green Alfa Romeo picks up a beautiful woman with a mask and glasses, lifts the suitcase… End titles, in the background ‘No Return Point’. They look at each other and smile, knowing what’s coming. Titanic projection and longevity with 6 sprays. Is it a work of art? Does it even matter? I think I need to smoke another cigarette… Senza Via D’Uscita – Finale.