A Week in Southern Italy
Last week, I had the unique opportunity to travel throughout Southern Italy with Atelier Cologne. For those who are not familiar with Atelier Cologne, they are a unisex fragrance line which “blends for the first time citruses with the most precious natural raw materials for perfectly balanced creations and exceptional lasting power.”
SHOP MY FAVORITE ATELIER COLOGNE FRAGRANCES:
We began our journey in Rome for one night, where the many of us who had traveled from North America could better get to know each other. The next day we boarded a short flight and ventured deep down into the Calabria region where we visited the scent extraction site, and then went to a citrus plantation that the site uses. We were given a tour of a scent extraction site where workers demonstrated two ways to extract oils from the finest citruses, both smelling entirely different. It was really interesting for me to see how many raw materials are used and how the scents are extracted from these materials in their purest form. We spent a lot of time in the car driving through the region and chatting about the success of the company before arriving to our hotel that we spent night in called the Popilia Resort.
The next day we drove about 4 hours to the Amalfi Coast to board a sailboat where we would continue to learn about the ingredients that are carefully combined to create an Atelier Cologne signature fragrance. It is wild how many citrus fruits there are and how different yet similar they smell! We did a blind smelling test where we smelled seven different citrus fruits while in the company of Sylvie, one of the founders, and their lead perfumer. I think I got all of the scents completely wrong aside from grapefruit. It is some seriously hard stuff! The boat ride was beautiful and pulled us right up to the picturesque Positano view that I had only ever seen in photos. It is truly a breathtaking place!
After settling in at one of the only hotels that was open during the off-season, Le Agavi, we headed to Chez Black, one of the most iconic restaurants in Positano, for a festive and delicious dinner! There were musicians playing and singing songs while we dined and drank the finest of Italian wines. It was a magical evening. I couldn’t help but wonder how ridiculously fun it must get at Chez Black during the summertime!
The next morning we had a beautiful breakfast with a view of the sea. We were planning on exploring Positano but it started pouring rain, so we packed up our things and left for a final night in Naples. I had never been to Naples before, but it is one of the oldest and poorest big cities in all of Italy. We walked around and explored an old fort that had a clear view of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, a VERY active volcano. On our final night we stayed at Grand Hotel Vesuvio. We went out for pizza and gelato and then said our good byes! It was truly a trip I would’ve never had the opportunity to experience if it weren’t for Atelier Cologne. Thank you for everything.