Giardini di Toscana: Four Generations of Fragrance in the Gardens of Tuscany

“The first time I walked through town wearing Bianco Latte, people followed me to ask its name. In at least fifty years as a perfumer, I had never experienced anything like it.”
— Silvia Martinelli, founder and perfumer

Essential Information
The Founder and the Origins of the Brand
What Defines the Brand
The Fragrance Lineup
By the Way…

Essential Information

Established 1942 (opening of the perfume shop) / 2016 (company incorporation)
Founder Silvia Martinelli
Co-manager Umberto Doni Giannini, Representative Director and CEO, and Silvia’s son
Headquarters Bibbiena, Tuscany, Italy (Via XXVIII Agosto, 7, or 7 August 28 Street)
Official website https://www.giardiniditoscana.com

📌 A note on pronunciation: “Giardini di Toscana” means “Gardens of Tuscany” in Italian and is pronounced approximately “jar-DEE-nee dee tos-KAH-na.”

The Founder and the Origins of the Brand

1942: A Pharmacist Grandfather’s Recipe Book

The story of Giardini di Toscana begins in central Italy in 1942. In southeastern Tuscany, the Casentino region is enveloped in the deep greenery of the upper Arno River. There stands Bibbiena, a village retaining the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. Silvia Martinelli’s grandparents, Giovan Piero and Emma Ducci, opened a small shop there selling leather goods, perfumes, and ointments.

Drawing on his experience as a pharmacist, Giovan Piero blended his own perfumes, soaps, and ointments. The formulas were carefully recorded by hand in a “recipe book.” Silvia still treasures this book, a family heirloom symbolizing the brand’s roots.

The 1960s: Her Mother Irma Takes Over and Transforms the Shop into a Boutique

In the 1960s, the shop passed to the grandparents’ daughter, Irma. With her innate taste and passion, she transformed the original small shop into an elegant perfume boutique. As Italian perfumery culture flourished, the little Bibbiena shop became an elegant atelier known throughout the area.

Silvia’s Childhood: A Sensibility Raised Among Scents

Silvia Martinelli was born and raised in this boutique. Sparkling bottles from perfume houses lined the shelves, while personalized essences were blended for special customers in the back of the shop. In this setting, Silvia developed a unique olfactory sensibility from an early age.

In her introduction on the official website, she says: “From my mother and grandparents, I inherited a desire to explore beyond provincial life, and a lively curiosity for the refinement and elegance typical of the great French and British couturiers.”

At Least Forty Years of Practical Experience and Perfumery Schools in Italy and France

Silvia spent at least 40 years working in the family business, a period she would later describe as at least 50 years. She worked as a makeup artist and also wrote a book on cosmetics, Make-Up. Tutti i trucchi del trucco (Sovera Edizioni, 2013). She says she had been fascinated by the smell of foundation since childhood, so inseparable was scent from her everyday life.

At the same time, she received specialist training at prestigious perfumery schools in Italy and France, adding a theoretical grounding to her artisanal sensibility. Customers often made personal requests for “a perfume that brings back a particular memory,” and her experience in bespoke perfumery built what might be called her “emotional olfactory library.”

2010: The First Creations, Eremo and Madrigale

The first perfumes Silvia released under the brand were Eremo and Madrigale, created in 2010. Both were later discontinued, but they marked the starting point of her career as a perfumer.

“I have always loved creating unexpected olfactory stories.”
— Silvia Martinelli

Late 2015: Eight Eaux de Parfum Launched at Once, and the Birth of Bianco Latte

In late 2015, Silvia officially launched eight eaux de parfum, including Bianco Latte. At that point, the brand took Giardini di Toscana as its company name and began full-fledged operations as an incorporated company in January 2016.

Bianco Latte was already attracting attention before its launch. When Silvia walked through town wearing a prototype, strangers were reportedly drawn by the scent and followed her. It was a first even in her long experience.

“The inspiration came from the voices of my customers and grew from their stories and shared emotions. I wanted to create a perfume like a refuge, like a gesture of tenderness. Bianco Latte is made of milk, honey, and caramel, but more than that, it is made of emotion. An olfactory embrace, comfort and companionship.”
— Silvia Martinelli

From 2019: Digital Investment and Global Expansion

In 2019, the brand launched e-commerce and its first discovery kit, a set of samples. It entered the US market in 2020 and then accelerated its expansion across Europe.

As word of Bianco Latte began to spread on social media, especially TikTok, sales rose sharply. Revenue grew from EUR 800,000 in 2022 to more than EUR 6 million in 2023 and nearly EUR 18 million in 2024, an approximately twenty-twofold increase in just three years.

“TikTok merely amplified what Bianco Latte already was: an authentic connection. We have been investing in digital since 2019 and creating authentic content. Organic word of mouth among enthusiasts and creators did the rest. Digital is no longer just marketing; it is relationships.”
— Silvia Martinelli

Videos featuring “Bianco Latte” have amassed 180 million views on TikTok, according to the brand’s own figures, while at least 63,000 related posts have accumulated on Instagram. This is an exceptional viral phenomenon for a niche fragrance.

The brand made its Japanese debut on December 5, 2025, with sales beginning at locations including NOSE SHOP Azabudai and Ginza in Tokyo. As of March 2026, it is distributed in at least 80 countries and at least 690 retail stores.

What Defines the Brand

The Philosophy of Scent: An Invisible Art of Wearing Emotion and Memory

Every Giardini di Toscana fragrance is an “author’s perfume,” created by Silvia’s own hands. Free from the constraints of trends or gender, all its eaux de parfum are designed as unisex, high-concentration fragrances.

“We make perfume not for those who are seen, but for those who wish to be. For those who can recognize themselves in what they feel.”
— Giardini di Toscana official website

Silvia says that when thinking about a perfume, she always considers the “synesthesia of smell and color.” Bianco Latte is the white of “crème Chantilly,” while Celeste is the pale blue of “a sunny spring day in May.” A sense of color is woven into each fragrance’s concept.

“When creating a perfume, I always think about the synesthesia of smell and color.”
— Silvia Martinelli

A Commitment to Materials: Natural Ingredients and the Finest Raw Materials

At least two years are devoted to the journey from formulation to commercial release, with extensive testing along the way. Carefully selected natural materials, including essential oils, flowers, and resins, are used alongside synthetic molecules reproduced in laboratories. The brand has reportedly paused production of certain fragrances when raw materials became difficult to obtain.

“Dupes made to resemble our perfumes do not have the same formulas or materials. We take great care with the raw materials we use.”
— Silvia Martinelli

Bottle and Packaging Design: A Sustainable Aesthetic

Research, development, and production all take place in Italy. The bottles are made by a long-established Italian glassmaker, using 50% recycled glass and a design requiring 10% less glass than before. Recycled materials account for 70% of the boxes and 50% of the bottles.

The caps use timber from forests damaged by natural disasters and other events in Italy and abroad. As a partner of the forest-restoration initiative WOWnature, the brand also actively supports tree planting and sustainable forest-management projects aimed at absorbing at least as much CO₂ as its production processes emit.

The Fragrance Lineup

The core range preceding the new Trilogy collection comprises thirteen eaux de parfum in 100 ml bottles. Prices are kept within a EUR 125–155 range, excluding special lines, and Silvia personally composed every fragrance.

Bianco Latte: The Signature Creation

The pivotal fragrance that brought the brand worldwide recognition. True to its name, meaning “white milk,” this gourmand fragrance is composed of a caramel top, a honey-and-coumarin heart, and a base of vanilla and white musk.

Food-inspired fragrances, whose development is exemplified by Thierry Mugler’s Angel from 1992, have attracted renewed attention in recent years through Bianco Latte. Silvia says she did not create it with the idea of “reviving gourmand,” the French word for a food connoisseur that also denotes an appetizingly sweet fragrance family. Nevertheless, it is widely recognized within the perfume industry as a catalyst for the “neo-gourmand” trend of the 2020s.

The Color Series: Fragrances with Color in Their Names

Many of the brand’s perfumes bear names linked to colors, reflecting Silvia’s philosophy of the “synesthesia of smell and color.”

Celeste: “Sky blue.” Top notes of lime and sea notes; a heart of violet, raspberry, and exotic flowers; a base of vanilla and Ambroxan. It was named after the daughter of a local customer.
Rosso Rubino: “Ruby red.” Top notes of bergamot, lemon, and orange; a heart of rose, berries, and cacao; a base of patchouli and oakmoss.
Rosso Radice: “Crimson roots.” Top notes of bergamot and pink pepper; a Cashmeran heart; a base of vetiver and Ambroxan.
Blu Mare: “Blue sea.” Top notes of bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, and pink pepper; a heart of sea notes and cypress; a base of amber and oakmoss. An aquatic-woody fragrance recalling the Mediterranean coast.
Blu Indaco: “Indigo blue.” Although detailed primary-source information could not be confirmed, it is a fragrance with the nuances of indigo blue.

Other Major Fragrances

Almafolia (EUR 145): A floral-amber fragrance starring tuberose, the fragrant white flower also known as the queen of the night. Top notes of tuberose, sweet orange, and peach open into jasmine, white rose, ylang-ylang, and coconut before settling into amber and vanilla.
Borabora: A tropical fragrance imagining a South Pacific paradise. Top notes of tiare, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and apricot; a heart of Jasmolactone and white musk; a base of vanilla, amber, and caramel.
Shabby Chic: A peony top; a heart of white flowers and Bulgarian rose; a base of musk, Javanol, and cedarwood.
Scintilla: Meaning “a dazzling flash.” Top notes of apple, pineapple, and blackcurrant; a heart of iris, violet, and jasmine; a base of oakmoss and amber.
Colonia Nobile, Christos, and Bianco Oro are also listed on the official website, but detailed primary-source information about their notes could not be confirmed at the time.

Trilogy: The Latest Collection of 2026

In March 2026, Giardini di Toscana announced its new Trilogy collection, called Trilogia in Italian. Guided by Silvia’s vision, its three unisex fragrances explore the three dimensions of “nature,” “emotion,” and “beauty.”

“Three profiles, three dimensions of being. Each perfume has its own identity, yet they share one philosophy: not to impose themselves, but to become part of the personality and history of those who choose them.”
— Giardini di Toscana official website

Verde Respiro: “Green breath.” A fresh, green fragrance born of the desire to reconnect deeply with nature.
Ricordami: “Remember me.” A strong, memorable fragrance born from the themes of emotional memory and attachment.
Oro e Miele: “Gold and honey.” A fragrance about beauty itself, belonging to the gourmand poudré family, combining gourmand and powdery facets.

By the Way…

The grandfather’s recipe book survives to this day
The recipe book in which grandfather Giovan Piero recorded the know-how he had accumulated as a pharmacist in 1942 remains in Silvia’s keeping. Whether it has been consulted directly is unknown, but it is described as a symbolic link connecting the family’s memories of scent.

The battle against “fakes”
Bianco Latte’s explosive popularity has created a worldwide market for “dupes,” lower-priced products imitating the original scent. While Silvia has shown equanimity in interviews, saying, “To be honest, I’m happy to be copied,” she has also warned on the brand’s official social media of the health risks of counterfeits containing uncertified chemicals.

The “In Essenza” Podcast
On June 20, 2025, Giardini di Toscana released In Essenza, meaning “In Essence,” a three-episode podcast co-produced with major Italian podcast company Chora Media. Exploring the anatomical, memory-related, and emotional dimensions of smell through testimony from scientists and artists, it is narrated by Leonardo Mazzeo, with Silvia appearing in every episode.

References