Castiamanti

Castiamanti belongs to Agatho Parfum's Pompei Collection and takes its setting from the House of the Chaste Lovers in Pompeii. The brand starts from the frescoes there, which it reads as the story of a restrained love: promised, suspended, never fully consumed. Eastern spice meets Mediterranean plants within that setting.

The top notes are laurel, myrtle and saffron. Dry, green leaf and herbal freshness meet the warm, slightly leathery glow of saffron; the brand presents this meeting of precious saffron and Mediterranean bay laurel as the source of an untamed desire. The heart lists honey alone, a sweetness the brand links to the lovers' tender gestures.

The base gathers agarwood, incense, labdanum, vanilla and white musk. Smoky resin and deep wood are rounded by vanilla and softened by musk. In the brand's telling, incense recreates the intimate atmosphere of the house, with diners murmuring among warmly coloured frescoes. Deep wood and resinous smoke surround the sweetness of honey and vanilla.