Fragrance house

Ortigia

Founded in Sicily in 2006 by British-born Sue Townsend, previously a founder of Crabtree & Evelyn, Ortigia takes its name from the island forming the historic centre of Syracuse. The brand developed from Townsend’s work creating scents in the gardens of San Giuliano, where she learned about Sicilian plants and flowers, and later sought the help of Florentine master perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi. Its creative identity centres on Sicily: perfumes draw on indigenous southeastern Sicilian plants, while packaging uses bright colours, metallic finishes, palm imagery and leopard graphics inspired by a Byzantine mosaic in Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni. Ortigia is an independent soap and scent company whose blends were developed with Villoresi, and its products are made by small Italian companies using natural methods. The company is currently privately held. In its fragrance range, Zagara is identified as the best-known citrus perfume, while Fico d’India is presented as a defining Sicilian example based on prickly pear and cedar from umbrella pines.