A few Italian fragrances already hold a special place in my collection, Bianco Latte being one of them. So when I was invited to attend AURA and explore some of Italy’s luxury niche fragrance, I was thrilled. Organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in partnership with Esxence, AURA celebrates the art, heritage and innovation of independent Italian perfumery.
This year AURA took place at ASPIRE, the private event space on the 102nd floor of the One World Observatory. After a swift 47-second elevator ride, I arrived just in time to catch a beautiful sunset through ASPIRE’s wrap-around floor to ceiling windows.
As I entered the space, I didn’t know which scent to follow first. Should I start with some of my favorite fragrance houses like Giardini di Toscana, and Xerjoff or venture into the unknown? Luckily there was plenty of time to explore. Along the way, I found a few new fragrances to love, including Wave of Freedom by Jusbox Perfumes and Ultralove by Coreterno.
As the evening went on, we were treated to a beautiful performance of “AURA Rising,” created by Angelica Stiskin and performed by dancers from New York’s Joffrey Ballet School. It brought another dimension to an evening dedicated to the art of fragrance.
Before heading home, I received a gift bag filled with fragrance samples, discovery kits, a full-size fragrance and a piece of Italian artwork. It was a thoughtful way to close the evening, with plenty of new scents to explore at home.
