The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Released in 2015 to mark the 150th anniversary of Italian unification, the 1861 collection celebrates the heritage and beauty of a unified Italy. Three fragrances, three chapters of the country's story. Naxos is Sicily, its citruses, its heat, its contradictions. Xerjoff chose Milan fragrance exhibition Esxence that year to unveil the collection, letting each scent represent a distinct facet of the country's character. Renaissance speaks to Florence and the artistic golden age. Zefiro takes Rome, eternal and layered. Naxos takes Sicily, and doesn't apologize for what it finds there.
What makes Naxos distinctive is how it refuses to choose sides. The citrus top notes arrive bright and clean, bergamot and lemon with lavender's herbal coolness, giving the opening a classical clarity that feels almost restrained. Then the honey arrives. Not a whisper, but a statement. Sweetness woven through jasmine sambac and cinnamon, held together by cashmeran's powdery softness. The base is where the fragrance earns its reputation: tobacco leaf and tonka bean grounded by vanilla, creating a warm, slightly dry finish that lingers long after the initial spray.
The evolution
The first ten minutes are all citrus clarity, bergamot and lemon cutting through lavender's calm. Then the honey pushes in, reshaping the opening into something warmer and more romantic. The cinnamon becomes noticeable around the thirty-minute mark, adding a spice that tempers the sweetness without overpowering it. By the second hour, the tobacco and vanilla have taken over, and the fragrance shifts from sweet-floral to warm and slightly dry. This is the Naxos people talk about, that honey-tobacco combination that stays close to the skin but announces itself when you move. On fabric, it can last through an evening. On skin, expect eight to ten hours depending on your chemistry.
Cultural impact
Naxos has become one of the defining fragrances in the honey-tobacco genre, frequently cited among the best of the Xerjoff catalog. The 1861 collection represents the house's historical ambition, using fragrance to translate Italian cultural identity, and Naxos stands as its most accessible and widely loved expression.
