The history of perfume is as old as the existence of human beings. In the middle ages, the Royal House of Medici, whose legacy extends well beyond Tuscany was very fond of perfume. When you rent a villa in Tuscany you will be surrounded by many Medici buildings, including the medieval towns near La Collina del Sole that are nestled in the Apuan mountains, this beautiful Lucca villa rental overlooks the mountain range which has a perpetual source of ice, essential for keeping ingredients cool and making gelato, [itself invented by Catherine de Medici’s head cook] the woods and flowers found in this area with villas for rent in Tuscany are often used to make perfume, The woods around La Collina del Sole a jewel among Holiday villas in Lucca provide conifer resin, Violets and wild rose a flower commonly found around villa rentals in Tuscany are also used as are herbs like, thyme, rosemary, sage and basil which grow liberally in the verandas of La Collina del Sole Perfumes were initially used to appease the gods, they were considered to have divine value. In ancient times the skill needed to create perfume was considered a high-art form. People used herbs and spices, such as almond, coriander, myrtle, conifer resin, and bergamot, as well as flowers, commonly found around La Collina del Sole The Arab chemist Al-Kindi even wrote a book called the “Book of the Chemistry of Perfume and Distillations”, which contained more than a hundred recipes for perfume-making! Today the perfume industry is one of the most dominant luxury industries in the world. The marketing strategies to appeal to such a large and demanding clientele are vast. It seems that almost every week a new pop star is launching their own sickly-sweet brand of perfume, from the likes of “wonder struck” by Talyor Swift to “our moment” by One Direction. The perfume industry blindly follows the fashion fads of the 21st century. Indeed, one could argue that this industry is fast losing the artistic side of the profession… the Medici’s would be surprised at “wonder struck”

However this is not the case with the shop AquaFlor found in Florence. This hidden gem completely takes your breath away. An intriguing perfumery set within a beautiful palazzo full of products crafted with passion. This is a space to be seen and smelt. The store harks back to a bygone era of Florence. Beneath glorious arched ceilings, large wooden cabinets contain rows of brown glass bottles filled with 1500 botanical ingredients. They take these sophisticated materials to create a small number of bespoke scents for clients to enjoy. To add an extra touch of luxury to this already decadent destination is their in-house laboratory, where new perfume concepts and individual bottles for clients are developed. They will create a bespoke perfume just for you should you desire a truly unique scent. When you enter Aqua Flor you experience the ambience of a true workshop dedicated to the fine art of crafting perfume. As Sileno explains, "perfume evokes memories and has a powerful effect on our senses", as did this truly remarkable store in Florence - a worthwhile trip to experience when you visit La Collina del Sole

AQUAFLOR at Via Borgo Santa Croce, 6, 50122 Firenze, Italia PHONE: (+39) 055 2343471 E-MAIL : info@florenceparfum.it