Mediterraneo is based on an old recipe used at the Monastery of St. Giacomo, and was reconfigured for the Italian line Carthusia by nose Laura Tonatto. The fragrance launched in 2002, and features notes of lemon leaves and green tea.

Mediterraneo starts with tart, juicy lemon and lots of green: crushed green leaves, dried green tea leaves, lemon verbena, and maybe even a hint of lime peel. The green tea intensifies as it dries down, and there are vague hints of other fruits and light florals. After a hour or so, it gets ever so slightly soapy, but it is not at all harsh or aggressively clean. I have never been to Capri, but this is what a Mediterranean island ought to smell like.

It is bright and fizzy and exuberant, and probably the fragrance I reach for most often in the summer. If, like me, you detest cold weather, it is also the perfect thing to wear on a dismal winter day when you need a little reminder that summer is not so far off.

Mediterraneo is an Eau de Toilette, and it is not long lasting, but nor does it go flat and stale within the first 30 minutes as many lemon fragrances do. It was the first fragrance I ever bought unsniffed, and it was a resounding success: it is one of very few bottles in my collection that is emptied and replaced on a regular basis. Unfortunately subsequent efforts to buy unsniffed have by and large been a disaster. I should have stopped while I was ahead.

Mediterraneo is available in 50 and 100 ml spray bottles. For purchasing details, see the listing for Carthusia under Perfume Houses.