Meo Fusciuni: Before the Molecule Comes Poetry

“My path has been decidedly unusual for a perfumer. As a chemist and herbalist, I spent my youth in places of silence, among plants in which nature expresses its essence. Anthropological and ethnobotanical experiences in Morocco and Turkey led to a passion for the Arab world, and a love of aromatherapy developed, bringing me almost unintentionally into the world of perfume. Before the pyramid, before poetry, there is first the smell. Perfume is the liquid that contains it and the poetic language enclosed within: a lifelong journey. For me, perfume is art, a means of awakening emotions and sensations I have experienced. So rather than simply wearing a perfume, one becomes a medium embodying an artistic expression.”

— Meo Fusciuni / Giuseppe Imprezzabile

Basic Information

Founded: 2010

Founder: Giuseppe Imprezzabile. The brand name “Meo Fusciuni” is also his artistic name.

Artistic director: Federica Castellani

A note on the name’s Japanese rendering: Authorized retailers in Japan write it as “メオフシューニ.”

Official website: https://www.meofusciuni.com/

The Founder and the Origins of the Brand

Sicily as the Starting Point

Giuseppe Imprezzabile was born in the spring of 1977 in Mazara del Vallo, a historic fishing-port town on Sicily’s western coast. One of Italy’s largest fishing ports, it is home to families of fishermen and seafarers stretching back generations. Facing the Mediterranean, with Tunisia across the sea, the town has a distinctive atmosphere in which histories, cultures and peoples intersect.

The brand name “Meo Fusciuni” is also a profound homage to his family. “Meo” is a shortened form of his father’s name, Bartolomeo; “Fusciuni,” described as meaning “flow” or “flowing stream” in Sicilian dialect, was his grandfather’s nickname. This poetic artistic name already carries the themes of memory and continuity that run through the entire brand.

A Youth of Science and Travel

After his childhood in Sicily, Giuseppe moved to northern Italy and immersed himself in science. His studies spanned an exceptionally broad range: biochemistry, herbalism, ethnobotany, aromatherapy and anthropology. He is also said to have studied herbs at the University of Parma and earned a degree in herbalism, and accounts record that he ran a herbalist’s shop in the northern Italian town to which he later moved.

His explorations did not stop there. After university, Giuseppe deepened his practical knowledge of herbs and spices while traveling through Morocco, Turkey and other parts of the Middle East. He is also said to have worked as an artist creating spatial environments, developing an unusual career that embraced both science and art. The experiences of this period, encounters with other cultures, dialogue with plants, and immersion in poetry and literature, became the foundation of his later philosophy of perfumery.

He himself has said in an interview:

“My route into perfumery was quite unconventional. It began with extensive studies of chemistry and botany and long hours in an extraction laboratory. That background helped me enormously in understanding the aspects I found most complex and difficult, particularly formulation and synthetic fragrance molecules.”

The Turning Point: A Door Opens in Istanbul

In 2009, a journey changed everything. Visiting Istanbul, Giuseppe sensed something like “a door opening” amid the spice-filled air of the Grand Bazaar, the damp air of the Bosphorus and the solemn silence of the mosques. He describes it as “the moment a door opened, and I stepped through with courage.”

That journey directly inspired his first perfume, 1# Nota di Viaggio (Rites de Passage), and led to the brand’s establishment in 2010. From then on, Giuseppe began making it his life’s work to transform the emotions encountered on his travels into scent.

“I had never imagined becoming a perfumer, nor was it a family business. But through my studies of herbs and a deep love of literature, I came to understand artistic perfumery as the perfect fusion of science and art. A harmony of molecules and words.”

A Partner and a Mentor

The founding of the brand is not Giuseppe’s story alone. His partner and the brand’s artistic director, Federica Castellani, shapes its visual identity and storytelling language. When a new perfume is being created, Giuseppe first writes down his emotions and travel experiences as poetry, then works with Federica to translate them into materials and images.

His meeting with the Italian perfumer Arturetto Landi also holds special significance in his technical development as a perfumer. Giuseppe himself calls Landi his “maestro,” and the two stood side by side at the brand’s booth at Esxence in 2024. This master-apprentice relationship appears to have provided a firm technical foundation for a perfumery journey that began with self-teaching and practical experience.

The Atelier as a “Temple”

Giuseppe’s atelier is now in Sarzana, in Italy’s Liguria region. Previously based in the spa town of Salsomaggiore Terme, he moved to the present Sarzana location in 2025. He calls the atelier a “temple.” The official website states: “Whenever I return from a journey, I come back here, and the soul takes shape and becomes a fragrant liquid.”

What Defines the Brand

The Philosophy of “Poetry before the Molecule”

If Meo Fusciuni’s philosophy could be summed up in one phrase, it would be “poetry before the molecule.” When beginning a perfume, Giuseppe does not head straight to the laboratory. First he writes poetry, imagines a story and listens to music. Only after such inner events as a journey, a stirring of emotion or a dialogue with a work of literature have matured does he begin selecting materials and working on the formula.

“Perfume is an urgency, a state of mind, a journey. It comes into the world as a quest to discover oneself. It is born of an impulse to say something to oneself before sharing it with others.”

Each perfume comes with a poem or text about its creation, sometimes even a playlist of the music that was playing in the atelier while it was being made. Those who purchase a sample set, or discovery set, receive a booklet alongside the small perfume vials. Rather than commercial marketing copy, it contains the actual poems and personal reflections that became the perfume’s first lines.

Defining Himself as an “Aromatorio”

Giuseppe prefers not to be called a “nose” (nez) or “perfumer,” choosing instead the old apothecary term “aromatorio.” This archaic word refers to someone with botanical knowledge who knows how to handle spices and medicinal plants properly. His choice of word distills his essence: someone combining a scientist’s rigor, a herbalist’s view of nature and a poet’s sensitivity.

A Commitment to Materials: The Alchemy of Natural and Synthetic

When choosing materials, he values long-standing relationships with trusted suppliers around the world. The proportion of natural materials is high, and his knowledge of botany and ethnobotany allows him to blend them with a deep understanding of each ingredient’s “soul.” At the same time, he actively uses synthetic fragrance materials to achieve particular effects and “textures.”

Among his raw-material suppliers, he places particular importance on his relationship with Robertet, the long-established French fragrance company, and in recent years has also deepened his collaboration with Italy’s Atelier Fragranze Milano. Among natural materials, his affinity with vetiver is especially strong: he says he is “fascinated by its geographical nuances and the different methods of extraction.” Among synthetic molecules, he makes frequent use of hedione, a jasmine-like fragrance material that gives scent transparency and diffusion, adding movement and lightness to floral accords.

All production takes place in Italy.

Bottle and Packaging Design

Federica Castellani is responsible for the packaging’s visual design. The bottles have a simple presence reminiscent of apothecary mixing bottles, unadorned and practical while conveying artisanal quality. The expression “bottling the memories of a life” in amber-colored, brownish glass aptly captures this distinctive design. The dark gray exhibition stands have also been described as having a Gothic atmosphere, consistently expressing the brand’s introspective, literary world in visual form.

The Fragrance Lineup

Meo Fusciuni’s collection is organized into several chapters called “cycles” or “trilogies.” Every creation is an autobiographical record of Giuseppe himself, rooted in a particular journey, poetic experience or spiritual exploration.

The Trilogy of Travel (from 2010)

The brand’s first collection translates into scent the memories of journeys to three places of greatest importance to Giuseppe: Istanbul, Morocco and Sicily.

1# Nota di Viaggio (Rites de Passage): A journey to Istanbul, beginning with the black-pepper-charged air of the bazaar and reaching the silence of sacred places through incense and vetiver.
2# Nota di Viaggio (Shukran): A hymn to Morocco, with refreshing Moroccan dwarf mint and eucalyptus, and a faint drift of tobacco. “Shukran” means “thank you” in Arabic.
3# Nota di Viaggio (Ciavuru d’Amuri): “Ciavuru d’Amuri” means “the scent of love” in Sicilian dialect. A love letter to Sicily that brings back memories of his mother’s arms and the shade beneath the fig tree in his grandmother’s garden, where he spent his childhood.

The Cycle of Poetry (2012–2013)

After the physical movement of travel, Giuseppe turned toward the inner space of poetry.

Notturno: Inspired by the “nights” of five poets and writers: Hölderlin, Rilke, Celan, Strindberg and Dostoevsky. Ink and rum suggest a writing desk at midnight; leather and amber carry the scent of black velvet. Giuseppe describes it as “just one color: black.”
Luce: A scent of “light,” inspired by the architectural harmony of Louis Kahn. It expresses the silence before dawn and the clear air of nature still asleep.

The Trilogy of Mysticism (from around 2014)

Narcotico: Released around 2014, it was the brand’s first parfum (extrait de parfum). Born from a journey through Palermo’s sacred sites and churches, it explores holiness and the scent of the human soul. Giuseppe says: “Narcotico is the first chapter of the cycle of mysticism. A spiritual and physical journey transformed into the scent of sacred places and the human soul. It is a work in which scent becomes ritual, and it is important to listen quietly to its story.”

The Cycle of Metamorphosis (from 2018)

Little Song (2018): Characterized by the extraordinary combination of rose and coffee. Its theme is “time that flows yet seems not to pass, time that brings change.” A fragrance poised on the boundary between solitude and hope.

The Timeless Trilogy (through 2023)

A trilogy inspired by travels in Asia.

Varanasi (2020): A record of a 2017 journey to Varanasi, India. It is said to express “what India left in the heart and soul,” felt on the banks of the Ganges. Saffron, oud and spikenard conjure a rich Eastern world.
Encore du Temps (2022): Inspired by osmanthus petals falling into a cup of tea on a journey to Laos, a moment in which he wished “time would stop.” Also a dedication of love to Federica, it was selected as a finalist in the Artisan category of the 2023 Art and Olfaction Awards.
Sogni (2023): As its Italian title, meaning “dreams,” suggests, this fragrance weaves a dream of Japan. A woody scent infused with the literature of Yasunari Kawabata, the films of Akira Kurosawa and a love of bonsai. It was created around the idea of “different trees telling of the passage of time, of life itself.”

Recent Standalone Creations

Viole Nere (2023): As its name, “black violets,” suggests, a contemporary interpretation of the classical violet. It expresses a love of gardens and the coolness of damp soil before dawn in March. A combination of blackcurrant, vetiver and patchouli creates depth. It won “Best Artistic Fragrance from an Independent Brand” (Miglior Profumo Artistico Marca Indipendente) at the 2024 Accademia del Profumo awards.
Buio (2024): Meaning “darkness,” it depicts an inward journey through a sleepless night. “It is night; it is dark. The mind wanders. Buio tells of the moment when we search for our own light in the darkness.” True to these words, it begins with the smoldering weight of cade oil and frankincense, passes through the faint light of osmanthus and peony, and settles into the stillness of vetiver and cedarwood.
Isola (2025): A 2025 creation combining memories of Sicily and Japan, the two “islands” important to Giuseppe. An unusually light-filled fragrance centered on the radiant citrus of yuzu and lemon. “This is my turn toward the light,” Giuseppe himself writes.

Incidentally…

Joint research with the University of Bologna: As of 2015, Giuseppe said he was participating in a research project with the university’s psychology department on the relationship between olfactory memory and life. No public information was found about its subsequent development or current status.

A perfumer writes a book: Giuseppe has published a book titled Ovunque (“Everywhere”): A Perfumer’s Writings. In March 2024, he held an event with his mentor Arturetto Landi at 10 Corso Como in Milan, offering a poetic and olfactory reading.

Testimony from a renowned critic: Perfume critic Luca Turin described being “blown away” when he tried Viole Nere at Esxence. He also called Meo Fusciuni “a master of interesting top notes, a perfumer with a rare skill.”

ÇaFleureBon’s “Best Perfumer of 2024”: Specialist perfume publication ÇaFleureBon named Giuseppe Imprezzabile its best perfumer of 2024.

References