Venice With Secret Streets; Opens Up Our Beautiful Senses

One of the best ways to see the secret Venice is to get lost intentionally. Narrow streets knit together like cobwebs, with some walkways so narrow they are only passable sideways. Tucked away in the Cannaregio district is Calletta Varisco, one of the narrowest streets in the world, measuring just 53 centimetres across. Of course, it is their famous waterways that are the wide travel paths. So much now of the city is defined by its canals; it’s easy to forget its history is so much more than these infamous canals. Home to one of the original sites for perfumery, a new house in the UK explores the world of Venetian perfumery here with Venezia 1920. Find out more in Venice With Secret Streets; Opens Up Our Beautiful Senses

Venice Italy

It’s not so well known, but it is actually an ‘Upside-Down Forest’. This famous city doesn’t just float; it rests on millions of closely packed wooden stakes driven deep into the mud of the lagoon. Because the wood is completely submerged in water and silt, there is no oxygen to rot it. The absorbed minerals over centuries literally turned to stone. There is a 9th-century crypt beneath the Church of San Zaccaria, which is permanently flooded like an underground mirror, with stone columns rising out of the still water where ancient Venetian Doges are buried.

Venice Bridges

The Bridge of Tits (Ponte delle Tette) is named after the prostitutes who were said to show off their wares. To combat a rise in homosexuality, the government actually required prostitutes to lean out of windows or stand on this bridge bare-breasted to entice passing men.

Venice Wine

When we think of Italian wine, Venice is not the area that usually jumps to mind, yet the Island of Mazzorbo produces its own unique grape and wine. A lagoon contains a tiny, peaceful island called Mazzorbo (connected by a footbridge to Burano). Here, a local family resurrected Dorona, a historic, golden grape variety, thought to have been completely wiped out in the great flood of 1966. It produces a highly exclusive, mineral-rich wine that grows right in the salty lagoon soil.

Venetian Tapas

Forget about pizza and heavy tomato sauces. Because of its unique geography and history as a maritime trading superpower, traditional Venetian cuisine is heavily centred around fresh seafood from the lagoon, rice, polenta, and exotic spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. There is a strong food culture here, and not unlike Spain, there is a tradition of small plates. Known as Bàcaro, a traditional, hole-in-the-wall Venetian wine bar. Instead of sitting down for a massive meal, locals stand at the counter, drink an ombra or a spritz, and eat cicchetti, bite-sized snacks displayed in glass cases. Take, for example, Crostini with Baccalà Mantecato, the undisputed king of cicchetti. It is Atlantic salt cod that has been poached and whipped with olive oil until it becomes a creamy, airy mousse, served on a slice of crusty bread or grilled polenta.

Preserved Fish

Sarde in Saor (Sweet and Sour Sardines) is perhaps Venice’s most historic dish. Fresh sardines are fried and then marinated in a sweet-and-sour mixture of cooked onions, vinegar, pine nuts, and raisins. Originally invented by 14th-century sailors as a way to preserve fish on long sea voyages without refrigeration.

The Trade Routes

Also lesser known is that Venice established a massive naval dominance across the Mediterranean. With fortified trading colonies, the Silk Road caravans arrived at the shores of the Mediterranean packed with rich silks, gems, pearls and of course spices. This small city on water was the meeting point, a gateway if you like, from the Far East to Europe.

Ventian Perfume

The Ventians trades were masters of sourcing the most coveted aromatics on earth. Think Frankincense from the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa; this resin provided a sacred, smoky, and citrus-woody depth. Myrrh, also from the Horn of Africa, was heavily prized for its medicinal and aromatic qualities. Labdanum was harvested from the Rockrose bushes of the Mediterranean and Levant. Sandalwood was sourced from India; a wood prized for its creamy, rich, and milky-warm aroma. Agarwood, the dark, resinous wood formed in Aquilaria trees in Southeast Asia, was imported for its deep, complex, woody-balsamic scent. Damask Rose from Syria, the rich, deeply intoxicating Rose, which became a foundational floral note in European luxury cosmetics. Orris Root of the Iris flower, which had to be dried for three to five years until it developed a highly prized, powdery, violet-like aroma, were just a handful of riches that arrived. On top of that, spices like Cinnamon, Clove, Saffron and Nutmeg also made their way to Venice.

Perfumed Leather

A massive portion of these imported ingredients didn’t actually go into what we would consider traditional perfumery. Venice was famous for producing pelle profumata, perfumed leather. Because the traditional tanning process left gloves, belts, and jerkins smelling horribly of animal fat and urine, Venetian artisans used heavy infusions of imported cloves, musk, ambergris, and resins to scent the leather. A pair of Venetian ‘perfumed gloves’ was considered the ultimate luxury gift among European nobility.

But Venice’s connection to perfumery became deep, historical, and absolutely foundational to the modern fragrance industry. Long before Paris or Grasse became the capitals of perfume, Venice was the undisputed perfumed epicentre of the Western world.

One of the golden ages of Venice was in fact the 1920′. The 1920s were a time when the city transformed from a faded historical relic into an absolute hotspot for rich, high-society art, and as a luxury resort destination after the horrors of WWI. The wealthy elite were desperate for escapism. Venice, with its dreamy canals and newfound beach culture, became the ultimate playground for the ‘Roaring Twenties’. The 1930s saw the opening of Venice’s legendary Harry’s Bar, a world-famous cocktail site. Here Giuseppe Cipriani invented the world-famous Bellini Cocktail, a simple, elegant mix of fresh white Peach purée and Prosecco.

And this succulent cocktail is just one of the ‘moments’ of Venice that has been turned into a modern Perfume by Venezia 1920 fragrance House. This is a collection of luxurious olfactory emotions, journeys into the secrets of Venice. The perfumes narrate and evoke tales of elegance, mystery, intrigue, of a beauty inaccessible to the distracted eye, hidden to those who dare not deviate and explore; as already mentioned, the best way to explore the city is by getting lost. So let your nose now guide you.

Nine scents make up the fragrance portfolio. Starting, we must, with Bellini. A golden sip of sunset where the sweetness of Peach dances with Vanilla. Amid the exotic flowers and a breath of bright citrus. Opening with facets of juicy Nectarine, Peach and soft creamy Vanilla, which falls into a heart of Almond from the idea of its milky caress and its rich nutty Frangipani crunch. Hints of a citrus accord bring the ‘champagne pop’ to the meld. When Gianluca Zin, the brand’s creator and CEO, worked on this scent, his brief was to literally create the original cocktail as a perfume, no more, no less.

If one woman were to embody the very spirit of Venice at this time period, it would be Peggy Guggenheim. The woman was a groundbreaking leader in modern art, who had an imposing, unique style and was utterly elegant. And from this point of inspiration comes the perfume Peggy.
A whispered elegance, light but present, velvety like cashmere, long-lasting enough. This opens with the resinous power of Frankincense, alongside its soft, rich, warm, and creamy heart of Sandalwood and Cedarwood Atlas. Its grand finale is long and rich, made of an Amber accord for golden depth and Musks to feel a cashmere-like wrapping sensation.

Next up, meet Lido

In the dream, I smell the scent of Lido. The emotion of recognising Venice from afar, its unmistakable silhouette in the mist, is a small relief that tastes like Bergamot; but behind the composed elegance of the Cedar, it already pinches a shiver of Lemon. Venice is approaching, and the heart bursts with joy, Lily of the Valley and Iris, the joy of a dream that is becoming reality, becoming a city, and a miracle, there in the middle of the water

Gianluca Zin

This perfume is like an ode to the lagoon in Venice where wine is made. But here, slightly more magical and more from imagination. It’s about the vision of the location seen from afar and up towards arriving there. A celebration of florals but with a sweet yet darker touch. It opens with the fresh brightness of Bergamot, with zingy Lemon, and creamy bark of Cedarwood that tempers the brightness.

Its heart is an ode to some of the most important flowers ever melded into scent. The rich power of earthy, rooty Iris partners here with the crisp, dewy, and lightly sweet openness of Lily of the Valley. But how it settles makes for the depth and drama of this scent. Rooty dry grass of Vetiver meets with gutteral dark Patchouli and the light touch cream Sandalwood. Amber brings her rich golden resinous facets to the party alongside sweet hits from Tonka and Vanilla.

Next up is Divine. Built around the allure of mask-wearing. Who is behind? We may never know. But love, lust and desire can be kept a secret when nobody knows who you really are.

In the 18th century mark-wearing was so common that many hid behind them for six months of every year. But by the 1920s, the tradition of daily mask-wearing was long gone; the wealthy elite revived the concept of the masked ball as the ultimate expression of luxury and escapism. These masked balls became exclusive, hyper-glamorous private parties held in historic palazzos along the Grand Canal.

So Divine EDP opens with the green, fresh zing of Bergamot and a tinge of perfumed Mandarin, with floral highlights from  Ylang-Ylang. The heart of the fragrance hints at its location on water and the passion that rises in people’s hearts in the location. Temptuous and regal Rose flirts with oceanic, salty, marine facets. The finale is a crescendo in softness where Sandalwood, Vanilla, and Musk meld with deep and golden tones of Amber.

Grey Velvet has an amber opening, then comes to a gourmand heart of Plum and Fig, soft Coconut, with a background of Moss and Sandalwood. Oud Royal starts with the impeccable elegance of the Cedar, sparkling with Citrus notes. Then a floral Rose and Iris heart join with velvety and luminous notes of Saffron, with a warm and sensual background of Patchouli and Musk. For a more fruity little number, meet Blanc de Blanc. Fresh and fruity notes of Bergamot, Peach, Apricot, Pineapple, with an elegant heart of delicate flowers. Warm and sensual background with Sandalwood, Coconut, Vanilla and Rosewood.

Two other scents are on offer: Mosaic reminds us of the power and importance of the Republic of Venice as the crossroads of the most important trade routes. The symbol of Venice’s wealth was the Basilica of San Marco with the famous mosaics that adorned it. The creation of the perfume was inspired by these mosaics, translating the kaleidoscopic variety of the pieces into spicy and fruity notes that make this fragrance unique. From a delicious Date accord, via Saffron and Leather, all the way to Velvets and Musks. Finally, to Harry’s: yes, that bar has its own perfume. Here, where artists mixed with the glitterati, mysterious liaisons meld. The soft sweet spices bring a frisson to the air via Coriander, Pink Pepper, and a cooling rosy-green from Geranium. Intrigue comes to the heart of the elixir, with resinous arms from Frankincense, deep and dry recesses of smoky notes, a soft hug from creamy Sandalwood. Its risque story is finished with the tie of a Leather accord, the depth and animal resin of Labdanum and the play of rich elegance from Amber

The attention of storytelling, the depth of meaning behind each scented tale, each exquisite liquid is only heightened by the hand-painted bottles and the precious lacquered casket that each bottle lies in.

Like a wonderful book with stories of distant lands that need to have the cover removed to explore their enchanting words, these perfumes are powerful words translated into scent; meaning, if you can’t go to 1920s Venice, at least you can experience it from a glass bottle filled with fragranced words.

Find all the perfumes here at Venezia1920.com

If you enjoyed reading Venice With Secret Streets; Opens Up Our Beautiful Senses, then why not read Outside of Place, here

.Cent Magazine London. Luxury Mindset