Acqua di Parma Bergamotto La Spugnatura and La Caletta: A Summer Collection Built Around a Centuries-Old Extraction Technique

Acqua di Parma turns 110 this year, and the anniversary has produced a considered series of releases. The latest is La Caletta, a summer collection developed in collaboration with French interior designer Laura Gonzalez, known for projects including the Cartier Mansion in New York and the Hotel Saint James in Paris.

The centerpiece is Bergamotto La Spugnatura, a limited edition Eau de Parfum built around an extraction method that predates modern industrial perfumery. La Spugnatura is a hand technique, centuries old and now practiced by very few artisans, in which bergamot peel is pressed manually using natural sea sponges to draw out the citrus essence, collected in terracotta pots. The bergamot used carries DOP certification, a protected designation of origin from Calabria.

The composition opens with bergamot, mandarin, bitter orange, and grapefruit, with geranium and galbanum in the middle register. Cedarwood and vetiver form the base. The bottle is lacquered in Acqua di Parma's deep blue glass with a handcrafted ceramic cap and Gonzalez's hot-stamped signature on the label.

Alongside it, Fico di Amalfi returns in a limited edition bottle decorated with Gonzalez's illustrations, opening with Calabrian bergamot, Italian lemon, grapefruit, and cedarwood, moving through pink pepper and jasmine, and finishing on fig tree wood, cedarwood, and benzoin.

The collection also includes three 200g scented candles: Sorbetto al Limone, a citrus and fresh mint composition; Latte di Mandorla, a warm accord of almond, iced milk, and sandalwood; and Granita al Gelso, a mulberry-based variation.

Bergamotto La Spugnatura is priced at £236 for 100ml. Fico di Amalfi Limited Edition is £156 for 100ml.

acquadiparma.com