Luckyscent Videos: Hilde Soliani - Bell'Antonio Eau de Parfum

Often, when I'm asked to show a fragrance that has tobacco, the first one that I reach for is Bell'Antonio. This is by Hilde Soliani. She's an Italian perfumer based in Parma, Italy. And I like to think of Hilde Soliani as basically the definition of a niche perfumer. She has a small operation. She is involved in all stages, making the perfume, bottling it, getting it out there to the world for us to enjoy.

As a niche perfumer, she definitely fills a certain niche unlike anybody else. She has her own personal take and expression. And in her case, it's the gourmands, those fragrances that are so yummy, you just want to eat them up. She has a way with gourmands that is so expertly done. They seem simple almost, almost like they just happen to exist because they're just perfect. And they're so wholesome and delicious and you just want to experience them.

I heard that in real life, outside of making perfume, Hilde Soliani loves to cook for her friends. And I believe it. I'm sure she's a great cook because she clearly understands balance and ingredients and how they go together and how to come up with a final product that is just so pleasing and nurturing.

Bellantonio is inspired by the perfumer's father, and I'm guessing he must be a very dapper Italian gentleman drinking an espresso. The two notes that are dominant in this fragrance are pipe tobacco and coffee. And even though coffee and tobacco are notes that have appeared in a lot of popular masculine fragrances lately, they're pretty much on trend right now, this does not resemble any of those fragrances because even though a lot of those popular fragrances are great and make great use of coffee and tobacco, a lot of them smell like fragrances. You know what I mean? Like a cologne where Bellantonio doesn't.

It smells like rich pipe tobacco or smelling a humidor with a perfectly black velvety espresso in the background.