Our take
What does Fico di Amalfi smell like?
Fico di Amalfi, launched in 2006 in Acqua di Parma’s Blu Mediterraneo line, evokes the gardens of the Amalfi coast. The opening is intensely citrusy: grapefruit, bergamot, citron and lemon create a lively, sunny freshness. The heart brings a soft, milky fig nectar with jasmine and sparkling pink pepper. Green fig wood, cedar and benzoin in the base add a woody, slightly resinous touch. The result is bright, fresh and Mediterranean, with a fig that is juicier than creamy. Benzoin eases a gentle transition into lightly ambered skin, and the fig leaf keeps a green, sappy note alive under the citrus for as long as it lasts.
When to wear it
Ideal for summer days and holidays; it suits lovers of citrus and fig of any gender.
The story of Fico di Amalfi
Acqua di Parma began in 1916 with its Colonia, a citrus cologne that became a byword for Italian elegance in the 1950s. Under LVMH ownership from the early 2000s, the house broadened its range with Blu Mediterraneo. This line of fresh scents, which opened with Arancia di Capri, draws on places along the Italian coast. Fico di Amalfi arrived in 2006. It takes its cue from the Amalfi coast, its terraced lemon groves and its fig trees. The line's bottles are sky blue, and each scent evokes an island or a village rather than a mood. The house does not name a perfumer, and we will not guess one. Fig had been fashionable since L'Artisan Parfumeur's Premier Figuier and Diptyque's Philosykos in the mid-1990s. Fico di Amalfi offers a sunnier take, built first as a citrus scent. It is unisex, and men and women wear it equally well. We rate it among the best in the line.
Our detailed review
The opening is almost all citrus. Grapefruit and lemon lead, citron adds a bitter zest and bergamot rounds things off. For twenty minutes you could be wearing a classic cologne. Then the fig arrives, more nectar than fruit. It is sweet and slightly milky, and pink pepper gives it a little fizz. Jasmine stays faint. In the base the fig tree brings the green note, the smell of a crushed leaf and sap. Dry cedar and benzoin gently warm the skin. Fico di Amalfi smells like late afternoon on a terrace above the sea, eating figs still warm from the sun. We like how bright and natural it feels. Nothing is forced. The flaw is how light it is. The fig fades too fast and you need to reapply by midday. It suits citrus lovers who want a little more sweetness. If you want a green, long-lasting fig, Philosykos is the better buy.
Fico di Amalfi vs its rivals
Diptyque's Philosykos is the benchmark. It shares fig and fig tree but works the leaf more than the fruit, with a touch of coconut milk. It is greener and longer lasting, with almost no citrus. Hermès' Un Jardin sur le Nil plays the same fruity freshness with green mango, lotus and grapefruit. It is more watery and airy, over a light incense base. Colonia, from the same house, has no fig at all. It is pure citrus with lavender and rosemary, more classical and more aromatic. For a cheerful sunny fig, pick Fico di Amalfi. Philosykos suits people who like sap and shade. Un Jardin sur le Nil is for those who want a more abstract fruity freshness, and Colonia for Italy without the fruit.
Longevity, projection and use
This is a light eau de toilette and it behaves like one. Expect three to four hours on skin, a bit more on a cotton shirt. Projection is pleasant for the first hour and then stays close. Spray generously, four or five times across the neck, arms and shirt. Keep the bottle handy for a second round in the afternoon. It suits spring and summer days, on holiday or at the office. In winter it vanishes almost at once. It is perfect after a shower or straight out of the sea.
It belongs to the Citrus, Aromatic family. Fico di Amalfi is one of 6 creations by Acqua di Parma in our encyclopedia.
