VaranasiOriental Woody Fragrance

Varanasi by Meo Fusciuni is an oriental woody spicy fragrance, unisex, created by Giuseppe Imprezzabile. It is based on Himalayan nard, a root that has almost disappeared from modern perfumery.

An ethnobotanist turned perfumer

Before composing fragrances, Giuseppe Imprezzabile spent years cataloging the medicinal properties of plants and ran an herbalist shop in his hometown in Sicily. He prefers the old title of aromatario, one who possesses the knowledge of plants. “Meo” is the diminutive of his father’s name, Bartolomeo; “Fusciuni” is his grandfather’s nickname, which means to flow in Sicilian. For him, a fragrance does not begin in the laboratory but with a poem, a journey, or a revelation.

An opening of incense, saffron, nutmeg, and cardamom

The fragrance begins with warm, red spices. Saffron brings its leathery, medicinal touch, while nutmeg and cardamom provide their dry warmth, and incense its resinous smoke. It is a dense opening that seeks no freshness.

A heart of ambergris, rose, and jasmine

The house speaks of an olfactory mandala where the aquatic and animal notes of ambergris cradle the soul: that is exactly what this heart does. Rose and jasmine arrive dried by the heat rather than fresh, ambrette brings its vegetal musk, and cypriol its earthy, smoky wood. The heart is dusty, not floral.

A base of nard, oud, and leather

Himalayan nard, the jatamansi of ancient texts, gives its deep, root-like scent; gurjun balsam its balsamic resin. Then come oud, a mystical leather accord, vetiver, and frank animal notes—the house describes a swirling chant rising in the night of Varanasi, the temple, the shadows walking around. It is a base of wet earth and skin.

The house’s gesture

Varanasi comes from a trip to India in 2017, and the perfumer dates its origin precisely: he composed this fragrance by letting himself be guided by the visceral emotion felt the day he held the sacred water of the Ganges in his hands. The rare material that distinguishes the formula is nard: this Himalayan root, one of the oldest in perfumery, has almost disappeared from contemporary compositions because it is so costly and difficult to work with. Here, it is at the center of the base, not a discreet touch. The fragrance belongs to two collections at once, Autoritratti Oscuri and Memorie di Viaggio.

For whom, for what occasions?

For those who embrace an animalic, smoky, uncompromising fragrance. It is a winter fragrance, for the evening, with a strong sillage: it is not worn to meetings. Varanasi Meo Fusciuni will appeal to those seeking a narrative oud, on the side of raw material rather than luxury.