The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Voi Sapete ch'Io v'Amo was created by Laura Bosetti Tonatto and released in 2015 by Essenzialmente Laura. Its inspiration is explicitly musical: a hymn to love drawn from the madrigal of Jakob Arcadelt, who lived from 1539 to 1654. The composition translates that vocal ideal into an intense fragrance of flowers and fruits, woods and resins. Cedar and labdanum are featured notes that lend the love madrigal a grounded, woody character, balancing the floral and fruity elements with structure, dry warmth and resinous depth.
The fragrance's character comes from a compact, emphatic pairing. Cedar brings structure, dryness and a polished vertical quality. Labdanum adds resinous depth, warmth and a creamy sweetness beneath it. Together, their contrasting qualities give the composition a grounded profile: aromatic and dry beside warm, soft and resinous. The woody and labdanum facets lend definition to the floral and fruity notes without requiring the fragrance to be read as a simple succession of separate ingredients.
The evolution
The first impression is lifted and clear, shaped by the fragrance's citrus and fresh character. As it opens, cedar gives the composition a clean, aromatic direction, while labdanum adds warmth and richness beneath that brightness. Through the middle, the woods and resins come forward together, creating a soft, balsamic character. The floral and fruity facets lend their own lushness to the composition, while the citrus notes provide a lively contrast. Over time, the fragrance settles into a close, woody presence with resinous warmth, its character shaped by the listed notes without requiring a fixed place in the note pyramid.
Cultural impact
This fragrance is distinguished by its explicit musical inspiration: a hymn to love drawn from a madrigal by Jakob Arcadelt. That reference gives the title and concept a precise cultural frame without needing to be reduced to a general claim about romance. The scent itself develops the theme through its contrasting materials. Citrus freshness meets floral and fruity richness, while cedar and labdanum introduce structure, dryness and resinous warmth. This union of music, woods, resins, flowers and fruit gives the composition much of its distinctive character.
The House
Essenzialmente LauraEssenzialmente Laura is a Roman perfumery brand founded by master perfumer Laura Bosetti Tonatto. Based in Italy, the house creates artisanal fragrances that draw deeply from the sensory heritage of Rome, translating the city's gardens, churches, palaces, and courtyard atmospheres into wearable scent compositions. The collection spans 55 fragrances organized across seven families according to the Classification officielle des Parfum system. Bosetti Tonatto's work bridges private commission work for royalty and a publicly accessible collection available through her Roman boutiques.
The Creator
Laura Bosetti TonattoTonatto's signature lies in her command of Italian raw materials and her commitment to bespoke creation as a foundational practice, not a luxury sideline. Her technical palette draws from classical French parfumerie while her sensibility remains distinctly Italian.
