Going on a discovery trip is part of the program for our GIP Class. 

This year, the 2022 class, sponsored by SOZIO, had the opportunity to go to Florence in Italy. 

Florence is considered the perfume capital of Italy where the art of perfume making developed significantly in the 16th century. Catherine de Medici had her perfume made to measure there, “eau de la Reine” made from a mixture of citrus and bergamot-based eau de Cologne.

At that time, many pharmacies were involved in the manufacturing of refined perfumes. One of the oldest pharmacies is the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy that was visited by our GIP students during their trip. 

Following this, they discovered the Oscar Tintori Garden which has been dedicated to the production of ornamental citrus plants for three generations and has a collection of over 400 varieties. In addition to this, they visited the Citrus Garden, a botanical museum with more than 200 varieties from all over the world, a great source of information and learning for the group.

After the olfactory trip to Florence, our students visited the Toscana Giaggiolo Cooperativa, the main reference for the sale of dried iris rhizomes in Italy and in the world. Our thanks to their staff for their kind welcome and interesting demonstration on working on unhulled and hulled iris. 

The trip concluded with a visit to the Villoresi Museum which is dedicated to the art of perfumery and the sharing of unique know-how. 

Our sincere thanks to the Villoresi family for their warm reception and especially to Alessandro (alumni GIP Class 2021). 

Our gratitude to everyone who helped make this trip a memorable one for our students, who found it both inspiring and rewarding. 

 

Find few photos of their travel: