Reviews of Agrumi Amaria di Sicilia (2005)
by Bois 1920

It smells quite good, with (as expected) with bitter, sour, natural citrus notes, followed by a vague woody dry down. It smells pretty good, but the longevity is pathetic. And this is coming from someone whose skin usually projects and holds scent well.

It was barely there after all of 10 minutes. If I put my nose IN by wrist. I could get just the tiniest whiff of some vague, soft woody notes. Seriously, I get more out of Eau d'Orange Verte.

I feel like a joke has been played on me. Never mind gone in 15 minutes, on my skin Agrumi Amaria di Sicilia never appears. I am certain I would project a stronger smell if I simply washed my hands and face with a perfume free soap. At first I thought it was oddly weak but imagined eventually it would come good. An hour later when no trace was left I decided to empty half the vial sample onto the back of my hand. Although I was dripping wet with the stuff still nothing appeared but a lightly fragrant citrusy soap, again gone in under an hour.

I’m tempted to get another sample in case there was a mix up at Luckyscent.com, but you know the old adage “fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." GWB

An amazingly dull, inferior, overpriced and thus entirely superfluous citrus fragrance. While a fan of Sandalo e Thé, I've found the other BOIS 1920 scents to be well made but rather too conventional affairs, but this is simply bad. A grapefruit-centered top, that lacks the refreshing punch you expect from a fragrance called bitter citrus of Sicily. Neither petitgrain nor cumin help to give the lame pamplemousse a hard citric-orangy edge or some suggestive dirtyness. Instead, an irritating synthetic haze hovers above the fragrance, not too dissimilar from the little helpers that ruin the current incarnation of Farina Gegenüber. It would be nice to get some good jasmine and patchouli notes in the middle, but there is nothing of the sort in here, just the inchoate fruitiness of a thankfully brief drydown to cheap wood and musk notes that would make even Ulric de Varens cringe. It's embarassing to smell this besides Acqua di Parma or Eau de Patou or any quality Eau de Cologne. In fact, Monsieur Balmain, 100ml of which can be had for around 15 Euros online, is a vastly superior citrus fragrance. This BOIS 1920 rip-off ranges in quality with the recent abominations put out by 4711 as their new "Acqua Colonia" line. I didn't think one could be more audacious than to charge 35 Euros for 150ml of toilet-air-freshener-quality lavender, verveine and what have you scents, but Enzo Galardi takes the cake and truly, in the face of this achievement, he can stick his hand-turned precious-wood bottle cap where the Sicilian sun don't shine.

These notes don't lie. Bitter citrus (grapefruit) and a hint of berries. Light woods in the base and an overall floral effect permeates. Wholly and unmistakably Italian in flavor and style. Great refreshing scent.

Detailed fragrance note list –
Top: grapefruit, lemon, orange, mandarin, petitgrain, cumin
Mid: jasmine, patchouli, lime, lavender, sandalwood, cassis
Base: musk
I am of mixed mind about Agrumi Amaria di Sicilia. I like the concept of a Mediterranean hesperidium-inspired scent. I like its particular citrus notes; they are fresh, persistent (for such notes) and natural smelling. So what’s the problem? Namely that this is an expensive, exclusive scent that merely (and mildly) delivers the same sort of lemony EDC vibe that R&G’s Extra Vielle, or even good old 4711, have been doing for centuries at a lower price and with more oomph and character. For this price, I expect either an outstandingly vibrant rendition of the basics, or a distinctive twist on that. Neither is in view here. AAdS has a lovely citrus opening, in particular the grapefruit is really appealing and evident. There is a hint of green (lime, lavender leaves) and the merest spice note. The scent has a slightly cool, airy quality; and it pretty much stays that way. I don’t get the cassis berries. The patchouli is light (thankfully), so is the musk and sandalwood. This is a subtle, refreshing scent… nothing wrong with it. But is it worth the price? In my opinion, no.

A delightful sunny citrus opening, with distinguishable notes of orange marmalade, lemon and mandarin. Sadly it fades rather rapidly, and there's not much of a drydown, otherwise it would get a thumbs-up.

While Agrumi Amaria di Sicilia is a very nice, summery grapefruit scent that really does smell refreshing, it quickly fades into nothingness; on my skin I can hardly smell it after 15min. This is way too short lived for the price and although I do like it I cannot give it a thumbs up.

Along with Balle de Match, this has become my favorite citrus warm weather fragrance. It is very much in the Italian Acqua di Parma or Carthusia style, but works better on me. It proceeds very smoothly from the citrus opening through some light floral to the woody finish. It gives a very fresh and natural impression and never loses its touch of citrus bitterness. Longevity is excellent for this style. Refreshing and classy. There is nothing radical here, just great refinement.