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THE ESSENCE OF HISTORY: COSIMO I DE' MEDICI AND ACQUA DELL'ELBA.

THE ESSENCE OF HISTORY: COSIMO I DE' MEDICI AND ACQUA DELL'ELBA.

THE ESSENCE OF HISTORY: COSIMO I DE' MEDICI AND ACQUA DELL'ELBA.

This year happens to be the 500thanniversary of the birth of Cosimo I De’ Medici who, as we will see in this most recent nugget of perfumery history, was a precursor of Tuscan perfumery tradition based on ingredients from Isola d’Elba, and with whom we feel we have much else in common, besides.

THE ESSENCE OF HISTORY: COSIMO I, A TYPICALLY TUSCAN CHARACTER.

Cosimo I is well-known for being a determined politician, with a fighting spirit inherited from his father (the famous military leader Giovanni dalle Bande Nere) which helped him resolutely overcome the greatest men of his times. His determination and character led him to realise his dream of making Florence and its Grand Duchy famous all over Europe for its greatness and its capacity of creating beauty.

THE ESSENCE OF HISTORY: COSIMO I AND THE TERRITORY OF ELBA.

Whilst on the one hand he had inherited his combativeness from his father, on the other hand Cosimo inherited from his grandmother, Caterina De’Medici, the passion for alchemy. Continuing her tradition of creating beauty lotions, creams and unguents, Cosimo I supported the development of Florentine perfumery craftsmanship which became so popular in France, as recounted in another one of our recent posts. In his furnace in Palazzo Vecchio, surrounded by some of the most reputed European alchemists, Cosimo sought to extract essences from materials treated in ovens and alembics, creating compresses and medicines which he gave away as gifts to his powerful visitors from all over Europe. One of these remedies was the earth of Isola d’Elba: used against fevers, this earth represented something to precious to Cosimo, so much so that he chose our island for the creation of what probably became his most ambitious project. 

THE ESSENCE OF HISTORY: COSIMO I AND THE UTOPIA OF COSMOPOLIS.

As soon as he received from Charles V the mission to defend tracts of the Tyrrhenian sea from the assaults of barbary pirates, Cosimo re-founded the ancient Latin city of “Ferraja” (currently Portoferraio), making it an impregnable fortress as well as infusing it with a deeper character. His dream was of that of building on Isola d’Elba a crib of culture and sophistication, welcoming all of the best minds and hands in Europe. This was the reason why his new city started attracting artists, artisans and scientists from all over the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Sicily and Greece, transforming the island of Elba into a vivacious, stimulating centre of culture and production.

Tuscan, a lover of Isola d’Elba and its scents, a visionary striving to put our island at the centre of the world’s imagination…How could we not fall in love with a character that resembles us so much? So, we thought of something special to celebrate his 500thbirthday: keep following us to find out what it’s all about.


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