The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Paolo Terenzi composed Immaginazione as a 2023 extrait de parfum for Fornasetti. The name itself, imagination, invention, points toward something deliberately constructed: a fragrance meant to evoke the theatrical, surrealist world that Piero Fornasetti built across ceramics, furniture, and decorative objects since 1940. Terenzi built the composition around an aromatic top accord that clears the air, introducing cooler, more herbaceous notes before warming into denser materials. As the fragrance develops, it reveals layers that feel both classical and unexpectedly strange, building complexity through contrasts in texture and temperature that reward close attention.
The combination of oakmoss, oud, and tonka bean is uncommon in contemporary perfumery. Immaginazione doesn't make that compromise. The result is a fragrance that asks for commitment: the opening is herbaceous and uncompromising, with a sharp green quality that feels almost medicinal before softening. The heart leans into patchouli's earthiness, its chocolatey depth cutting through the initial brightness. As it settles, the base pairs vanillic warmth with oud's medicinal depth, creating a rich, resinous foundation that lingers on the skin for hours.
The evolution
The opening arrives sharp and immediate, lavender and thyme hit first, with geranium providing a slightly floral counterpoint and juniper adding a gin-like brightness that clears the sinuses. This phase lasts around 15-20 minutes before the herbs begin to recede and cedar takes over, softening the sharpness into something more horizontal and warm. The heart settles into patchouli's earthy, slightly medicinal character, with vanilla starting to appear underneath, not sweet yet, just warm. Two to three hours in, the base takes over: amber and tonka bean create a creamy, vanillic foundation that sits close to the skin, while oud and oakmoss add depth and a faint bitterness that keeps the sweetness from becoming desserty. The drydown lingers for hours, with the oakmoss providing an almost forest-floor quality that grounds the composition and prevents it from becoming overly soft.
Cultural impact
Immaginazione takes a distinctive approach by incorporating oakmoss and heavy oud, materials many contemporary perfumers have moved away from. The result is a fragrance with genuine complexity and depth, qualities that distinguish it from more restrained niche offerings. Its boldness isn't about aggression but about richness and layering that reveals more the longer you wear it, making it an appealing choice for those who find most niche fragrances too polite.
