Laboratorio Olfativo - Bergamotto
Although citrus fruits originated in China, bergamot is Italian. Unfortunately, no one remembers who crossed a lemon tree with a bitter orange: this inventor could have been honored in the same way as our colleague Clément, who invented the clementine. Italian traders sold bergamot on the Chinese market so that it could be used to flavor second-rate tea, which was then sold on the English market. I am often asked if I have any olfactory preferences. I always say that I don't, to conceal the manipulations I perform on fragrances, since the work of a perfumer is always that of an illusionist. Yes, I do have preferences, and they vary according to my needs and desires. I have temporary, but also steady, long-term love affairs, among which is my love for bergamot. It was time for me to make this official. – Jean-Claude Ellena
Viaggio in Italia by Jean-Claude Ellena
A Journey to Italy by Jean-Claude Ellena
“I am what one might call a happy pessimist. Some days I am overwhelmed by ‘spleen,’ as Baudelaire called it, a nice word that encompasses dejection, boredom, melancholy, and restlessness. All I have to do is decide to cross the border into Italy, only an hour and a half from my home; then I am happy. That country smells of happiness. It simply must be true, because Northern Europeans have been coming there for centuries to spend their holidays. The longevity is clear proof that Italians are happy, and they know it. An Italian wants to convert immediately, to talk loudly to sell his coffee, cheese, pasta, and fruit, especially his citrus fruits. He loves life! Besides the coffee, which is bright and not at all bitter, which is its hallmark, there is a side to Italians that is rather American, or perhaps it is the other way around. The wheels of cheese are the size of…” Millstones, pasta in all colors and shapes, lemons that look like rugby balls, oranges like footballs, tangerines as big as pumpkins. Bergamot is different; it comes from Calabria, not China like the other citrus fruits. For a long time, bergamot peel flavored second-rate teas to make people believe they were first-rate. An Italian named Giovanni Maria Farina, who became a German citizen, made it the main ingredient in his eau de cologne. He made a fortune spreading joie de vivre to the courts of Europe, then to the capitals, then to the countryside. My grandmother was Italian, from Piedmont. One always returns to the love of childhood. After traveling through Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Liguria, Tuscany, Marche, Campania, Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily, as well as ten other regions, it seems to me that there is no such thing as 'public opinion' in Italy. There are Personal views. Perfume shops and perfumes are meant for individuals, not for everyone. There are no grand, imperial brands with glitz and glamour, just small, elegant shops where the customer is king or queen and where one can have their heart's desires fulfilled. Since I only know how to create with joy, with a blade of grass in my mouth, I wanted to create an Eau de Cologne that sings of Italy, of joie de vivre, cheerfulness, citrus fruits that are like sunshine in winter. The first was called Cologne Mandarino; the next ones are Colognes Limone and Bergamotto.
© Out of love for fragrance ( hb )