The Carnival Of Venice And Its Traditional Masks

“I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs. A palace and a prison on each hand: I saw from out the wave her structures rise as from the stroke of the enchanter’s wand; a thousand years their cloudy wings expand around me, and a dying glory smiles.” — Lord G. Byron Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.

Thousands of tourists come to Venice to see and take part in its magnificent Carnival, an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The event concludes with the Christian celebration of Lent, forty days before Easter, Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi gras, the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks, and people stroll in costume in the magical setting of this city. Those mysterious and disturbing Venetian masks, which look at you from the alleys of the city, are part of what we imagine the Venetian world would have been 300 years ago. Wearing masks has always been more than just fun for Venetians; it is still a strongly felt tradition with deep cultural roots. Venetians were famous for being libertine and for transgression: they didn't just use masks during the official Carnival. Wearing a mask in Venice meant taking forbidden freedoms, willful madness: you could jibe with the powerful, gamble without being caught, take risks for love or business, and even enter convents without being seen. The palaces opened their courtyards to celebrations and there were music and dancing all day and all night in the alleys, squares, and even on the water. Venice was alive with sounds and colors.

ALV Venezia makes me think of that Carnival and its joy. It is flowery, romantic, musky, woody, voluptuous. A tour of scented notes, as pleasant as walking through the streets and squares of Venice. An oriental perfume that pervades the memory of this city shines through in perfect harmony with the romantically flowery notes. The scent opens with citrus touches of talc bergamot, which blends with green petitgrain and sour Chinese mandarin. A handful of aromatic pink pepper controls the acidity of citrus fruits. This being from another era makes it so irresistible! The output is refreshing without being too harsh, with a wonderful powdery shade, I get a slight feel of powder and makeup.

The blossoming of the soapy rose, the carnal gardenia, the pink peony, and the green leaves of the geranium softens the heart. But there is more, cloves and cinnamon exude later, giving a strong personality as the lagoon city deserves. The violet leaves are humid, rainy, and add an aquatic atmosphere, reminiscent of the smell of the canals that run through the city immersed in the lagoon. The middle phase is drizzly and dusty as if it had secretly buried the iris root.

On the finish come the notes of subdued white musk and with the support of salty ambergris, dirty patchouli, creamy sandalwood, and tar-like guaiac wood. The latter adds a little warmth, slightly chewy, with hints of tobacco and burnt leaves. This blend delicately transports into velvety and leathery atmospheres.

ALV Venezia is a wonderful perfume if you like old-school chypres. Although it feels heavy on opening, it settles very well on the skin and is not a powerful fragrance, making it an excellent choice for everyday use. A spring perfume, it adapts to any moment and occasion both of the day and of the evening, but sporty. The presence of spices makes it pleasant even on the coldest days of autumn. The staying power is over half a day, which is a slight disadvantage for this type of scent, but there is a subtle elegance to its silage.

This review is based upon a 100ml bottle I own since November 2020.

-Elysium

#powdery #fresh #woody #spicy #floral #chypre #wet #green