On a humid spring day in 1916, the founder of Acqua di Parma, Carlo Magnani, released a perfume that has captured the hearts of aristocratic celebrities for decades. Dedicated to honouring his beloved Italian home, Parma, the iconic Colonia fragrance was the first on the market to truly encapsulate Italian eclecticism and craftsmanship with its lightweight and whimsical notes.

Smell is generally understood to be our strongest sense, and with our olfactory signals directly linked to the limbic system (the area in our brain that processes emotions and memory) fragrances have the innate ability to kick-start our imagination. ‘The power of scent is that it can pull us instantaneously to a certain time or place,’ says the maison – thus, through Colonia, Magnani has transported us to the heart of Parma for more than a century. Today, the maison’s new fragrance, Zafferano, is taking us on a new journey.

With notes of saffron and citrus, the new limited-edition fragrance, created exclusively for London’s premier department store, Harrods, takes us back in time to mercantile Venice.

Home to serene omnipresent canals, labyrinthine cobblestone streets and spectacular contrasting architecture, the Italian coastal metropolis is lined with grand Renaissance and Gothic palaces that offer architectural enthusiasts much to admire. The exteriors give the city a beautifully haunting quality, however it is their interiors that truly highlight the impressive calibre of Italian craftsmanship.

Within these buildings, intricately flecked terrazzo is ubiquitous. And while its aesthetic appeal is undeniable, it was its durability that first attracted the attention of Venetian architects. Going back more than 500 years, the composition of terrazzo is thought to have originated from offcuts of the city’s most popular building material, marble. Venetian workers would return home with scraps and fragments of marble from upscale projects, and combine them with a mortar base to line the floors of their own residences and terraces. Today, designers and architects are fascinated by the aesthetic unpredictability of terrazzo surfaces, and the iconic Venetian style has made its way around the globe with its recent resurgence, allowing terrazzo to take centre stage in many modern architectural designs.

A metaphor for discreet luxury, reserved beauty, and premium Italian craftsmanship, Zafferano by Acqua di Parma is the olfactory analogue of Venetian terrazzo. The aromatic components of saffron, blossoms and citrus, artfully combined with the raw materials of blown glass, marble, and gold leaf, simultaneously pay homage and create a true “objet d’art”.

Meanwhile, Venetian terrazzo is directly appreciated through the striking new bottle design. With hues of gold, red and yellow, the terrazzo technique is expertly replicated in a limited-edition Art Deco-inspired black bottle. Made from FSC paper, the outer packaging also features the iconic Venetian design. The Signatures of the Sun’s matte black label, complete with gold embossed logo, makes an appearance on the outer packaging as well.

Acqua di Parma’s Signatures of the Sun range expresses the sublime art of perfumery, allowing for each fragrance to unveil a new sensory experience. Zafferano is the newest scent in the collection and is undeniably one of the collection’s most expressive fragrances.

Acqua di Parma Zafferano Limited Edition, £219, is stocked exclusively at Harrods; acquadiparma.com; harrods.com