The architecture of the perfect essences: Parco Palladiano

What is the connection between perfume and architecture? The Parco Palladiano perfume collection by Bottega Veneta attests to architecture being more than just a source of inspiration or an incentive to reverie. The Palladian architecture style is, in essence, the practice of attaining perfection through proportions and also the starting point of Tomas Maier, the Creative Director of Bottega Veneta, when creating 6 in the beginning (9 at this moment)  exquisite fragrances, guided by a sole olfactory experience: Parco Palladiano.

Walking by the Villa Rotonda, one of the famous works of architect Andrea Palladio, and finding himself delighted by the variety of plants surrounding the Palladian villas of the Veneto, Italy, Maier drew up a list of the region’s native species of flora. Based on that, he invited his favorite perfumers to allow themselves to be inspired by one of the many elements in those gardens and to turn it into a fragrance. A challenge which evokes art and the endeavor of a painter/perfumer to recreate, with a personal touch, an element of their choice. The result? Olfactory paintings which awaken all senses.

My favorite is VI. Mylène Arlan describes it, using the rose as a central element: ‘Like a Palladian villa, the rose is beautiful alone. But what makes it more beautiful are the gardens that surround them.’ With a beautiful bottle as a package and Roman numeral–named, we can expect these 9 perfumes to be joined by others, since Maier strongly believes that ‘There are flowers that nobody touched, woods that nobody touched, herbs that nobody touched.’

In other words, an explosion of essences. An implosion of experiences.