Sketches of Andalusia, Catalonia, and Madrid

Spain is big, bigger than Italy, and the variety of landscapes, foods, people and things to see can certainly compete with that of our country. And then, on your journey through the Spanish regions, you soon discover that in Catalonia they eat different foods from those of Andalusia, or that the music of Galicia differs from that of the Balearic Islands. Or even that in the Valencian Community, or in the Basque Country, the same language is not spoken as in the Castile region!

Does Spain remind you of flamenco, Arabian atmosphere, gazpacho, and pata Negra? Then you have in mind Andalusia, the most Spanish of the Spanish regions, the one that best embodies the soul of Spain. I visited back in 1987 during an August holiday in Torremolinos. As a 23yo guy, I remember I alternated between carefree days lying in the scorching sun, crazy nights dancing in the disco, and days on a trip to visit the most famous cities, Seville, Granada, Malaga. I then visited the Arabic Alcazar, the Alhambra, and other tourist attractions.

Catalonia for many it is a state of its own: the culture, the language, the food, the landscape. Many visit Catalonia for its capital, Barcelona. It is certainly one of the liveliest cities in the world, where an effervescent cultural life is accompanied by many places to visit absolutely. I recently went to Barcelona twice, in Catalonia, walked around the Ramblas, saw the artworks of Antoni Gaudí, and the still incomplete Sagrada Familia, and had some tapas for dinner. At the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, the capital Madrid and its surroundings form an autonomous community in its own right. But alas, I haven’t visited Madrid yet.

With this collection, Zara and the perfumer Alberto Morillas wanted to give us an emotional journey that explores three of the liveliest cities in Spain - Seville, Barcelona, and Madrid. We find ourselves catapulted at dawn to visit the Cathedral of Seville, lying on the beach in Barcelona at sunset, and finally at night to taste tapas in Madrid. Every perfume has a soul, a story, and is an emotion. They all bring freshness and vitality. Alberto Morillas was born in 1950 in southern Spain, in the capital of Andalusia, Seville, an extraordinary place for its flowering orange trees, jasmine, rosemary and other wonderful scents of nature.

Morning Sunray in Sevilla

Herbaceous, citrusy, straw and hay, moist with dew, slightly alcoholic like an infusion of aromatic herbs. That’s that blast that welcomes me, as the mineral salt of the air in the early morning. From this pale yellowish water, I feel the pungent smell of the bitter citrus, oranges, and lemons that populate the streets of Seville. Many aromatic herbs envelop the citrus fruits. There is a bouquet of jasmine growing in every courtyard, with green geranium leaves placed in the sun on the windowsills of the houses. A smoky and resinous aroma fills the air, the cypresses in the patio of the Catedral Metropolitana de Santa Maria de la Sede de Sevilla release resinous scents under the first rays of the sun, and a dense cloud of incense oozes from the cathedral, just diffused for the first function of the long day. I visit the Cathedral, and the smell of olibanum now grows and mixes with that of the warm, amber wood of the benches and the moss that covers the wetter walls facing north. What a dreamy redolence. Fresh, last almost all the morning.

Read more... A Rosy Dawn Over The City.

Bohemian Sunset in Barcelona

Fresh, watery, with afternoon reflections, dry and woody. The faint greenish fragrance features these accords. In Barcelona, ​​the sea and mountains meet dramatically, and everything is bathed in the brilliant and relentless light of the Mediterranean sun. Life here can be like you, an endless party or a quiet relationship. The city is full of unique places, the essence of 20th century Barcelona life. There are contradictory notes such as woody and mossy accords, the mountains, which clash with aromatic and watery ones, like the salty water of the sea beating against the wood of the boat moored in the marina. The opening is fresh, similar to the sea breeze that you breathe in the late afternoon at sunset while having happy hour in front of the salty Mediterranean sea in the Barceloneta district. It then transforms into a balsamic and aromatic heart, of citrus and mint like a fresh mojito, with a dewy flowery touch, to end with dry and warm wood and a clean musk base, like the smell that exudes from the chiringuito where you are sitting enjoying those magical moments between sunset and nightfall in Barcelona.

Read more... An Happy Hour in Old Barceloneta.

Nightfall in Madrid

Warm and fresh spices, savoury, powdery, sweet, and woody. That’s the rascal night in Plaza Mayor in Madrid, the city that does not sleep. We know Spain for its great nightlife and the capital is no exception. Madrid comes alive at night and buzzes with energy until the sun comes up. The light azure fragrance opens with plenty of savoured spices and sour fruits, so irreverent. A green and balmy cardamom meets the harsh green apple for giving way to a refreshing and awakening feeling. Then comes the heart, friendly and bright like the luminous light in the city at night. There is salty amber, powdery tonka, and sharp nutmeg. The smell even undergoes a certain evolution, and with time, when we reach the base notes, it gets the best, like the Movida. Plenty of creamy sandalwood and cashmeran blend with obscure patchouli and a bunch of luscious ambers. It perfectly fits the passionate night in Madrid, no matter if you like to sip some cocktails, go out for a tapa crawl, or catch some live music.

Read more... The Broadway in Madrid.

Have you ever been to Spain? Thank you, Alberto Morillas, for taking me to those beautiful cities, even if only for a whimsical moment.

-Elysium