An ancient extraction technique traditionally used to obtain the most precious essence from bergamot fruits, La Spugnatura is practised by just a few artisans in Italy. Acqua di Parma, known for overlaying the ancient with contemporary approaches, has adopted the process, but with a different citrus fruit, Arancia Vaniglia. And it is this, which forms its new-limited edition scent.

The City of Oranges

The fruit originates from Ribera in Sicily and contains some unusual contrasting olfactory properties, blending tart orange with the alluring softness of vanilla, to a bittersweet effect. Nurturing the fruit has been a long-term project for Acqua di Parma, unfolding an entirely manual extraction of the citrus essence; a skill that demands precise, delicate gestures. First, each fruit is cut in two equal halves with a well-sharpened knife. Then, using a utensil in the shape of a spoon named ?cavatore,? the skin is separated from the pulp. Orange rinds are manually pressed on sea sponges, which absorb all the essence and preserve all the fruits? facets. Finally, these sponges full of essential oil are squeezed with precise movements into a terracotta pot.
A precious elixir

This painstaking manual process gives rise to the ingredient?s scarcity and the limited edition nature of the fragrance. Only 300g of essence is extracted from approximately 100kg of fruit, and two artisans can work through a volume equaling 300 kg of fruit in a day. And every single part...