Your Venetian Olfactory Experience by The Merchant of Venice

 Between the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance, the commercial system of Venice reached its maximum splendor and prosperity, and the city became the centre of trade between Asia and Europe. During this period, the Venetian merchants imported spices, textiles, silks, gems, gold, and essential oils that were then distributed throughout Europe. The maritime trade routes were serviced by convoys of ships (the mude), mainly comprising fleets of Venetian galleys, which imported and exported valuable goods and connected the main trade centres of the entire Mediterranean and Asian regions. The mude are the source of inspiration for the entire line of The Merchant of Venice; its Murano Collection includes six different Eau de Parfum, which suitably express the perfect merging of olfactory refinement and beauty.

The Merchant of Venice cultural project

The Merchant of Venice is a line that has its conceptual origins in Venice and its history: it draws attention to the everlasting role of the city as a central force in the perfumery tradition throughout the world, and it involves different product lines based on the ancient Republic of Venice, its refined craftsmanship, and its centuries old trade with the Orient.

The Perfume Museum

The Merchant of Venice is the official product line of the Perfume Museum of Venice. The Perfume Museum is the result of an agreement between the historic Venetian perfume company, Mavive, and the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. First of its kind in Italy, the museum is housed in the prestigious Palazzo Mocenigo at San Stae, which already included the Museum of the History of Fabrics and Costumes. The section dedicated to perfume is exhibited throughout six rooms, enchantingly arranged by Pier Luigi Pizzi.

A stimulating layout will guide visitors through multimedia didactic contents, sensory experience, and rare, precious objects, and will inform them of the centuries-old continuity between the Republic of Venice and the history of perfume. Among the numerous items available there is a fascinating recipe book: Secreti Nobilissimi dell’arte profumatoria (1672), one of the first treatises on modern cosmetics and reprinted in facsimile form by Mavive especially for the Museum.

The Perfume Workshop

This workshop is suitable for adults. Under the guidance of a teacher from Mavive Parfums, the participants will be ‘initiated’ in the art of perfume, shown the basic notions of the compositions and create their own perfume.


A brief history of perfume throughout the centuries: a fascinating journey through different cultures and geographical areas with multimedia.


What perfume actually is, its basic elements and how they interact. Multimedia and printed materials.

  • The olfactory families: how “the basics” of all perfumes are classified and an introduction to the concept of the olfactory pyramid using multimedia and “essai”.

The raw and synthesis materials. Illustration of the most important raw materials, their use and exploitation from an olfactive approach.