Tuscany per Uomo Forte (1994)
by Aramis

I wore this for years after Lauder dropped "Metropolis" for Men. If I had known it was to be dropped, I would have purchased a case. You only needed a little and it lasted all day. It got lots of compliments and since it was on me at the time, I happily basked in the praise. Wish I had a nose that would help me find something similar.

I wore Tuscany (regular) so much growing up that I felt obligated to atleast sample Tuscany per Uomo Forte.

The scents are strikingly similar, and took me almost an hour into the middle and base notes to realize any difference in the scents. The signature crisp, lemony herbal top notes are still there (my favorite part) but the wood and spice notes that arrive later on tend to give it a shorter diffusion and less longevity. Not worth it, IMO.

There are only a few times when a scent like this is appropriate for my wardrobe these days. If I should need a well done, 80's fougere - the regular Tuscany would do just fine.

Why o why did Aramis discontinue this? If they had to pick one, they should have discontinued the regular Tuscany. Tuscany Uomo(regular one sitll in production), though nice, isn't as interesting as this gem. Imagine Tuscany's opening notes mated with Alexander McQueen's Kingdom, and you get Uomo Forte. The middle and basenotes of Uomo Forte aren't as harsh woody as Tuscany Uomo's either. This one is woody alright, but more of a comforting woody as opposed to dry/harsh woody of Uomo. A true gem that is getting harder and harder to find.

The added woods and spices made this more complex (and lasting) than the original brew, but also erased some of Tuscany's Mediterranian charm. To me, the new "Forte" harkened back, anachronistically, to the typically 1980s scents that dominated the market when the original came out. Nonetheless it was a wonderful scent that I enjoyed for years, and it eventually supplanted the original in my wardrobe as I matured.

Of course, like so many good things that Aramis has made, it's long been discontinued.

Tuscany Forte is pretty much the same fragrance as the orignal (a spicy sandalwood fougere) Tuscany, yet with something added in the base to act as a fixative. The original is pretty short-lived so it was nice to see Aramis address that problem, yet sad to discontinue the Forte shortly after. I would add that their differences are akin to those between Boucheron PH EDT and EDP, yet even more minute.

Tuscany should have been what Tuscany Forte was.

I won't re-run the ingredients on my review here. I just want to add that I wore this for years after it first came out, until it was discontinued. If I had known, I would have purchased a case and had a life time supply. This is a cologne that you only need a little of, that lasted all day, with an incredibly nice dry-down, and would blend w/ your body chemistry to make something that was almost unique. I have had women tell me that this cologne was undescribably delicious for them. Some have mentioned goosebumps. They weren't looking for a date, they just liked the cologne that well. It was mellow, complex but wonderful to breath in, and classy. I still can't believe they stopped making it.