Reviews of Virgilio (1990)
by Diptyque

I now know that I should avoid any frags consisting of kitchen herbs - I find they go weird on my skin within minutes (e.g. Little Italy). However, Virgilio makes things even worse by smelling pungent and extremely herbal (in a very '80s sort of way).

Yuck!

I have to say that Virgilio is green—excessively green. The opening is too green, but it quickly settles down to something just bearably green. As in most Diptyques, this fragrance is primarily linear, which is a quality I usually like about their fragrances, but not with this one. The basil and cedar lead the rest of the herbs through the three levels of the pyramid, and, sure, there is sage note here, a vetiver note there, a wood note around the corner—but basically everything is basil and cedar GREEN. I usually think of ‘green’ and ‘fresh’ as belonging together, but not with Virgilio—it is so oppressively green that I find it ponderous and heavy—far removed from ‘fresh.’ I readily admit my prejudice—green is not my favorite category, but there are green scents that I love (Sander for Man, Eau de Campagne by Sisily, Gucci Nobile) and many others that I have respect for. But this one is just too green for me.