A little scented treasure in the heart of Lucca

A hidden little treasure inside the old walls of Lucca dedicated to parfume , titled ” Il naso e la storia ” = the nose and the history.

I discovered this original museum just last week walking as a tourist in a city that I love and that I know pretty well since I was attending to the high school of languages many years ago just here…

it has been a real sensorial experience , couldn’t resist to ask at the ground floor of the Palazzo Ducale where it was this original exhibition and after having been escorted by a guardian until the second floor of the noble palace we were allowed to visit it : by ourselves ,alone as we were two Duchesses, my mom and I !

So sorry I couldn’t catch all the wonderful smells I tried…but I could take pictures and these are for you!

A free entrance for a great experience created to celebrate bicentennial of the settlement in Lucca of Duchess Maria Luisa di Borbone 1817 -2017 and before, Elisa Bonaparte ( Napoleon’s sister).

Follow me in this scented path..so you could find out that the “Eau de Cologne” was invented by Caterina dei Medici who in 1553 brought with her to France her personal “nose – parfumier ” Renato Bianco called in Paris Renè le Florentin , who has been living by the Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella in Florence and who created for the Caterina the : Queen’s Water = Acqua della Regina whose receipe is still hold in the Officia del profumo di Santa Maria Novella . In 1693 another Italian profumier from Piedmont, Giovanni Paolo Feminins , started the production of this perfumed water in Cologne – Germany – so it was called since that time “Eau de Cologne.”

Napoleon loved it so much that usually used one bottle a day rubbing it on his body !.