Zagara

Narcisse Taormina chose to structure Zagara around three clear acts because the Sicilian landscape itself operates in phases: the harsh brilliance of midday citrus, the languorous heat of a blossom-filled afternoon, and the cool stillness of evening. Each note is selected not for novelty but for accuracy, for its ability to represent a specific element of that landscape honestly. The result is a fragrance that reads as a cohesive whole rather than a collection of interesting individual ingredients, where lemon, orange blossom and sandalwood feel like they belong tog ether because they do, on the same hillside, at the same time of year.

The evolution

The story opens on the volcanic hillsides above Taormina, where lemon, orange and bergamot trees grow in dense, sun-baked rows. That bright, unapologetic citrus burst is the first act. As the top notes soften, the landscape shifts inland, into the terraces where orange blossom trees crowd the stone walls, their heavy flowers releasing scent into the warm air. Jasmine adds depth and exoticism, while white rose lends a soft, powdery grace that tempers the richness. By the final act, the scent settles close to the skin, white musk and sandalwood doing the quiet work of making the wearer smell like a memory of the island rather than a postcard of it.