On the Perfume Route
How Venice is Rediscovering an Ancient Passion
When you enter The Merchant of Venice boutique in San Fantin, your first impression is that you’ve stepped into a colorful, alchemy museum, far back in time, away from the current crowd of tourists swarming the narrow alleys of Venice. As a matter of fact, in the mid-17th century, the recently restored ground floor of the building homed an apothecary. Later, in 1846, it became a famous pharmacy, designed by the architect Giambattista Meduna (who also projected the nearby Fenice theatre). The four tall statues you can admire in the shop, representing Botany, Medicine, Surgery and Physics, were sculpted by Pietro Zandomeneghi.
Marco Vidal welcomes us with a vigorous handshake. He’s the Commercial Director of a family company that, since 1900, has been leading the body-care market and dedicating itself to the production and trade of soaps, spices and colonial goods imported from Asia. It’s 19:30, undoubtedly the end of a long, busy day. Nevertheless, he’s found the time to meet us with on short notice. Once again, in these days spent walking and meeting people around Venice, I’m really amazed by the generous hospitality of their residents.
In his historical shop, surrounded by antique furniture and bottles of any shapes and colors, Marco explains his family’s last challenge: creating a line that has its conceptual origins in Venice and its history, and highlights the role of the city as a central force in the perfumery tradition throughout the world.
Yes, you might be surprised learning that the first perfumers in history were not French but Italian — Venetian, to be exact! This fascinating story starts with the exclusive relationship developed in the Middle Age between the Serenissima and Constantinople. At that time, managing the maritime trade routes, Venice imported and exported goods of any kind, connecting the Mediterranean and the Asian regions.
Perfume was first brought to Venice by the Byzantine princess Theodora Anna Doukaina, wife of Domenico Selvo, Doge of Venice, from 1075 until 1083. Venice, which wasn’t directly under the Medieval church’s bigot influence, opened itself to the Asian cosmetic habits and started to manufacture ointments and perfumes.
Four centuries later Caterina de’ Medici, marrying King Henry II, became the first to export such perfumes to France. Her incomparable chemist, perfumer and alchemist Renato Bianco, known as Rene’ Le Florentin, will become in a very short time the perfumer for all of the French nobility.
The Vidal family company, Mavive, founded the one of a kind Perfume Museum in 2013, in agreement with the Fondazione Musei Civici. More than a static exhibition, the six room museum is an experience that guides visitors through multimedia didactic contents, sensory demonstrations and rare, precious objects. At the laboratory, everyone is welcome to take part in a workshop and create his or her own personal fragrance.
Needless to say, the whole operation is not just a matter of money. On the contrary, it is a smart way to use money, that in this case has been invested in creating value, informing people about the city’s history, and highlighting prestigious artisans’ work.
Rediscovering and preserving the artisans’ know-how might be the only way to keep the authentic part of the city alive. As with the most refined perfume, Venice must preserve its fundamental essence — a secret ingredient whose absence would make superfluous any other element.
[Written & Photographed by Stefania Gioia | Tiplr Ambassador| Italy]
