Venezia 2011 by Laura Biagiotti

It starts with a sandalwood bomb and orangey sparkles that remind me of the ‘pencil-sharpener’ scent of Dior’s Dolce Vita. As it settles, the woody peach and flowers, especially the osmanthus and ylang, come through. It smells great for at least four hours and lasts a long time. It’s feminine and vintage thanks to that fruity-woody accord from the nineties. I think it’s lovely for the cold, ideal for having tea with a good book. It smells like home, perfect for enjoying solitude while feeling accompanied.

I really like it; I bought it based on the references and it was a complete success. It’s true that the ripe fruits are very noticeable… almost on the verge of spoiling… but it stays with you with a wonderful trail. It has three things I love in a perfume: of course the scent, a very considerable longevity, and also a great price. I recommend it. Oh! And the bottle is not only beautiful but incredibly convenient for travel.

Venezia is a wonderful perfume; I wish it were more accessible in Mexico as it’s hard to find here. I detect the ripe fruits and spices well, with a very subtle touch of sweetness. The sandalwood, resin, and vanilla make a divine combination: opulent, elegant, and creamy. Saying it’s delicious doesn’t do it justice. It’s a divine and distinct oriental. I recommend it for night, formal, or festive wear in cold seasons. Venezia is a warm embrace full of elegance.

Although I have this 2011 edition, I wish I’d found the original from 1992. It’s a sweet, soft floral oriental, but my skin picks up more on the fruits than the flowers. It opens with juicy, ripe plums and peaches. I barely notice the ylang-ylang, while the sweetness of amber and vanilla emerges alongside a creamy sandalwood that envelops everything. It feels sweet, amber, powdery, vibrant, and luminous. Perfect for autumn and winter, day and night. The trail is liquorish at first but then loses some strength; it’s soft and very wearable. It lasts about six hours. Very comforting, mature, and classy. Feminine, seductive, and sensual, subtly animal. Very romantic and mysterious, between yesterday and today, like the city. It reminds me of the Rondò Veneziano group from the eighties, that orchestra that fused baroque and pop with synthesizers and drums, taking us to the Carnival of Venice with cheerful, infectious melodies. This fragrance maintains that dual essence: warm and cheerful, nostalgic and dreamy. Whenever I wear it, I feel happy. I’m going to look for my CDs to enjoy them together. A perfect pair.

I fell in love with Venezia because of the black-and-white TV advert. I sensed it was mysterious, magical, irresistible… I was a girl-teenager in the nineties and couldn’t afford such a perfume. It stopped being distributed in Spain very soon, and by the time I grew up, I couldn’t find it. I kept a paper sample from a magazine like gold dust (today, at 33, I still have it and it smells the same). Sometimes you have to believe in miracles, because they exist. Finally, I have it with me now, and it will never leave.

Oh Venezia, you were love at first sniff. I’ve always been intrigued to meet you. You were very famous in the nineties, especially in the US; you never made it to Mexico, so I never had the pleasure of smelling your original version. You disappeared for many years, and now I find you reformulated, but timidly hidden among my bottles. The moment I sprayed my wrist, I perceived an exquisite scent of sandalwood with vanilla, plum compote (more concentrated and less sweet than jam), ylang-ylang, and a resinous touch. Simply a delight; I couldn’t let you go, and now you’re with me. What strikes me is that the first thing I noticed was the sandalwood, which is the base note, along with the plum. The only middle note I perceive is the jasmine, very faint, and at the end, the sandalwood persists with hints of plum. You are a beautiful floral oriental that I like very much for this winter. So versatile that you can be worn day or night for many occasions, or just for my personal enjoyment. You have a medium trail and a longevity of about eight hours. If the reformulation is this beautiful, I can’t imagine how magnificent your predecessor must have been. Surely a wonder. You are for women in every sense of the word, not for girls or teenagers wrapped in cotton candy. I think I’ll buy another bottle in case I can’t find you again.