Emilia-Romagna’s second largest city has fragrance woven into its fabric and a two-century legacy to prove it. The roots of Parma’s perfumed heritage trace back to the reign of Maria Luigia, Duchess of Parma, during the early 19th century. An Austrian archduchess and Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife, Maria Luigia brought a refined taste for French luxury when she moved from France, her court becoming a nexus of cultural exchange between Italian artisans and French sensibilities. She introduced a full opera calendar, constructed a theater, and even planned one of the first public housing interventions. But the novelty with the longest sillage was the local perfumery. Maria Luigia loved the violets grown around Parma—the Viola Odorata, which she affectionately called a “graceful little flower”—and tasked the skilled monks of the Monastery of the Annunciata with discovering ways to extract their essence and create a perfume. The result was the Eau di Toilette “Violetta di Parma”, a fragrance made for her alone and whose secret recipe was protected for generations… Until the Victorian era, when a curious young Parma barber convinced the monks to share the formula, which, turns out, also contained jasmine, hyacinth and vanilla. He recreated the perfume and began to experiment with other compositions and botanicals, becoming popular first with Parma’s female contingent and later with clients further abroad. Perfume was no longer a reserve of the courts; everyone, or at least those with the purchasing power, could have a touch of what Maria Luigia loved so dearly.