Aramis knocked it out of the park when they decided to name this fragrance Tuscany per Uomo. When I smell Tuscany per Uomo, my mind immediately goes to summer in northern Italy: a younger Italian gentleman walking through a piazza in Florence, wearing Persol sunglasses, a button down shirt and a pair of well fitted slacks. Although Tuscany per Uomo is now a 35 year old fragrance, I still picture a young man wearing it as it does not smell nearly as old fashioned as the majority of it's contemporaries. The lavender/anise combo has aged quite well as Tuscany and it's cousin Azzaro pour homme don't smell nearly as retro as quintessential 80s fragrances like Kouros, Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui or Drakkar Noir.
For those familiar with Azzaro pour homme but not with Tuscany per Uomo, the two scents are quite similar. The major difference to me is that Tuscany is a citrus forward scent. Azzaro's blend focuses heavily on lavender and anise with oakmoss and leather backing it up to provide some power; Tuscany on the other hand is a more muted scent, all of the main players from Azzaro are there, but they are toned down and brightened by a dominant lemon note. The closer you get to the drydown, the more similar the two scents become, but Tuscany still has an ever-present lemon that fades, but never fully disappears. It's Tuscany's lightness that makes it really come alive in the warmer months.
Tuscany has become my go to summer choice when I want to smell like Azzaro pour homme. Azzaro can be worn in any weather, but Tuscany is by far the better choice during the high heat. The lemon note really takes off the warmer you become; I sat on a beach in 30°+ heat and the warmer my skin got the more Tuscany came alive. The lavender and anise are soft enough that they never become too cloying or out of place during the high heat. It's got some staying power too; Tuscany never projects as loudly as Azzaro but it stuck around quite admirably even after I went for a dip in the water.
What stops Tuscany from being a 10/10 fragrance is the opening. I find the first 5 minutes or so to be pretty rough. At the initial spray, Tuscany is too pungent; the opening is a blast of lemon, caraway and anise and the way they combine comes off smelling almost like bad body odour. If the rest of the fragrance smelled as pungent as the first 5 minutes, this would have headed to the trash bin. Thankfully, once you give Tuscany a few minutes to settle down it turns in to a masterpiece.
If you pick up a bottle of Tuscany, be prepared to be in for a rough first few minutes, but if you have the patience, let it dry down and bask in its summery, barbershop glory.
8.5/10
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