Roma

I think Valentino has traumatized me. I've disliked every fragrance I've tried from the house, in this case especially I thought of the Born in Roma line. So when I saw this name, my first thought was, "Oh no... this is going to be another nightmare, isn't it?" Thankfully, it wasn't. This isn't really my style, but I really like it. It's classy, elegant, and so refined. More importantly, it actually evokes Italy - and Rome in particular. It has warmth and sophistication I associate with an Italian summer evening. It's a budget fragrance, and unfortunately, that shows in the performance. Longevity is poor - I barely got two hours out of it, and projection is very soft. I've read that the original 1988 version was much stronger, so this current formula is likely diluted. The scent itself is a restrained spicy oriental. Rich enough to be interesting, but not overloaded or suffocating. And that's exactly why I'd happily replace the Born in Roma association with this one. This is Roma - not a cloying sugar bomb with no sense of taste. Although it was launched in 1988, it doesn't feel 80s to me. If anything, it carries more of the 90s, which makes me think it was actually ahead of its time. If you don't mind subtle projection, this makes for a lovely fragrance for a warm Italian summer evening.

To me, this scent is absolutely beautiful on a paper strip. Very chic and elevated, feminine, flowery-fresh, warm, not cloying or heavy. The name is so fitting, it really makes me think of sightseeing in a beautiful Italian city. I wish it was the same on paper and on my skin, because then I would absolutely love to get a full bottle. Unfortunately, on my skin, it gets stale and powdery very quick. Very myrrh, vanilla and gardenia forward, top notes are weak and disappear within minutes. Longevity is really good, sillage is really notable too, just one spray on my wrist was enough to softly cloud me in this fragrance and even leave a bit of a trail. Additionally, on my skin, this fragrance feels very "old school". It actually really brought me back to my childhood, visiting my great aunt and playing hide and seek with my cousins at her place. I remember hiding in her closet sometimes, and this is what it smelled like. I don't know if Roma was the fragrance that she wore, or if it was just a similar one, or if it were mothballs that I was smelling, but it really reminded me of her. And her closet, lol.

So, i liked it already but i have grown to love it! After 2 weeks the fragrance feels more blended to my nose and it is gorgeous. It's Mediterrenean vibes are exactly what i was looking for. The wet but dusty stone quality feels more integrated and it is beautiful. The bitter orange and lemon gives it a mouthwatering zest. Also the sourness is absolutely gone. It is very sensual, uplifting and with a hint of balsamic powder. Unique and unlike anything i own. Very suitable for hot weather. Also the gentle atomizer is a great plus! Great discovery!!! Turns out the notes are all wrong here on fragrantica (they probably are of the first and original formulation), as i read in one of the top of the positive reviews (@dana.kalnina). And checked the website for the real (current)ones: OLFACTORY FAMILY Spicy oriental HEAD NOTES Bitter orange Tyme Lemon Blackcurrant Red fruits BOTTOM NOTES Vanilla Sandalwood Myrrh Benzoin Balsam of Perù HEART NOTES Orange blossom Gentian Roman Camomille Lavender Tuberose

smells like weed on initial spray but dry down soooo good

still literally the best fragrance i know

I was able to get my hands on an old formulation...and wow ... There is some harsh almost animalic opening for the first few minutes ...maybe combo of carnation and pepper..and then settles down to a wonderful, soft comforting blend of patchouli, vanilla, musk, with a very light cameo of rose, citrus, and some type of menthol/mint..that's not quite as fresh or green. This is surprising bc usually I hate edt or edp with patchouli notes with a passion- they usually come forward and are the only pronounced note..but here it's blended and tempered and holds the longevity and plays well with the rose. When I first sprayed I was disappointed bc it smelled like you went to the perfume counter and sprayed 5 different perfumes on at the same time ... But I gave a bit of time after getting dressed and smelled again and was transported. Don't get the old lady smell..but on me it develops and dries down into a soft myrrh and vanilla spiced forward aura. Not sure how the new formulations compare..but the old is rich, resinous, and still maintains the feminine softness that will forever make me a fan. Projection on my body is almost skin scent, lasts for 4-5 hrs. Lasts longer if I layer or spritz on a silk scarf.

decades after I got to try this beauty but unfortunately it is so much dilluted. nothing like the vintage one...but anyways I am considering buying it as it was one of my first ever pefumes and I love it so much.

Wow - this was unexpectedly gorgeous - a blind whim after reading these reviews. It's overwhelmingly powdery grapefruit and smells absolutely divine.

How many more times do I have to read a review on this site that refers to a perfume as 'old lady'. It is truly shameful.

I received this as a present once. OMG! How does it stink! Standard old lady scent. I couldn't stand it, so it went to a charity shop.

I gifted this fragrance to a lady friend for her birthday just recently. it was a blind buy, I picked it up from my local pharmacy's cheapie cabinet , CAD $23 for the 30ml bottle. My experience was similar to what other have shared on here. She sprayed on her skin and she wasn't immediately thrilled about it. The opening is a little messy, of mostly green notes , a bit pungent with the citruses dominating the picture. 30 minutes later, the fragrance finally settled in this beautiful fresh, green, floral combination, with a light and gorgeous vanilla undertone. This like nothing that's popular nowadays, kind of unique by today's standards. The whole composition is truly beautiful and alluring. Might as well be a good choice for a summer date night. I am most happy whenever I come across with such as nice surprises as this one. 100% recommended to ladies of any age.

The citrus, carnation pepper, perfect amber, and myrrh licorice + kasuri methi are to die for! The entire experience from opening to dry down unfolds like a thriller minus the noir. Seamless and anticipatory. I love the rubbery vanilla undulating underneath. And whispering throughout is…vermouth? Freaking love this (Beware the fakes which are proliferate and come in a pink fluid smelling only of weak grapefruit)

Wow, this starts out smelling remarkable, ...but looking at the note pyramid I'm just confused. Yes, a moment of grapefruit and mint, ...but then anise and leathery powder. Perhaps partly due to a blend of eugenol-rich carnation, myrrh, civet, and vanillic amber, ...but I also must suspect vague or unlisted notes are at play. Strange spice galore, with trans-anethole and eugenol as the main drivers. But all the flowers are set far in the back, except maybe that odd carnation accord. This is isn't just an oriental scent, this is a wild and rugged oriental scent! Attention all unwashed camel caravans:...prepare for on-ramp merger,: Roma Expressway onto Golden Road to Samarkand.

Trying this in winter..not sure how I feel about it...

Pleasant, fresh and easy wearing. I picked up this sample seeing the notes as fairly similar to L'interdit - in terms of old-school style, that could be argued but this has a rather different journey. Opens with morish bright citrus, backed by a light pepperiness and fresh green hyacinth. It's very cooling and light - despite being somewhat punchy on first spray. As it dries down it becomes more classic, not necessarily quite what I'm looking for but it's a recognisable scent profile. It's super floral, fairly jasmine and chamomile forward with soap, light spice, light sweetness and rose layered in the back. There is a touch of that citrus remaining, making it feel more clean. Some warmth introduced to the mix by the vague amber and wood allowing the florals to shine. Fully dry, amber, vanilla, patchouli, powder, dust and soft spice. There is some lightly animalic ideas but it's surprisingly warm and homely at this point with much less floral and citrus. Performance wise it's fine, sillage is low (though strong on opening) but may be a touch stronger in the warm months. Longevity is fine, 3-4 hours on my albeit dry tester wrist, and it is a super affordable fragrance - so no harm in needing to respray. To me it reads as very all season suitable - with a very summery opening and more neutral dry down. It is also more unisex that I thought thanks to the dry down! Pleasantly surprised with the journey, and would absolutely pick up a bottom for the days I want something more clean. 9/10 - may not be absolutely outstanding or a truly unique fragrance, but it is a well crafted scent at a good price, that will appeal to those that like the older style of feminine perfumes. Try it out.

Its my mothers scent, and a long time love of hers. Smells lovely, gentle on the nose, but distinct. Has a faint spice to it, and it's aromatic. Definitely would get my own bottle. Something about it really reminds me of how the inside of cathedrals and churches smell, like it's somewhat incense-like. So if that's what you're going for, I definitely recommend this.

Blind buy and first spritz out of the box and it does do things that other perfumes does not do. It's highly unusual, with a balancing act that is almost precarious between a citrusy mint mojito, with very heady pollen rich flowers, with the muted walls of amber behind penetrating through. Exactly like drinking a frosted glass cocktail after sight seeing around Rome, while the surrounding shrubs are festooned with bright flowers with your gaze settling on the hot dusty road you have just left that leads to the heavy marble of the church beyond. Someone else described this below much better than I did and I am just echoing their same words. It captures Roman sightseeing in a bottle. The drydown is very similar to Roma Uomo. Update: I am so happy now I realised this IS the perfume I have been looking for a LONG time!! As a teen, the local market sold really great dupes of perfumes that were popular at that time in the 90's. There was one in particular that I really loved and I think the dupe was actually called Rome/Roma so obviously they weren't hiding what it was a copy of! In the drydown it is that same rum and coke amber sweetness of the market dupe that ignited my love of spiced orientals and amber perfumes. A really, really remarkable perfume. This is love! Have been looking for a signature scent for me (that wasn't soon to be discontinued) for such a long time! Maybe this is the one for me!

I have been familiar with this fragrance since the 90ies. I do remember the resinous, warm scent that formed on my skin. Slightly woody and mature, but really unique. Very amber-y. I bought a new bottle just out of nostalgia. Whatever came out of the bottle was very different from the original. I do appreciate that with time, formulations change from one reason or another. This fragrance smells like it was put together randomly, no cohesion achieved at all. There's this indolent note probably from the jasmin that, to me, smells faecal. I did try, I used up about 40ml, but I can't deal with it. Oh well, another one bites the dust.

L-am achizitionat recent, inspirata de recenzii, si nu sunt incantata deloc ! De ce ? Nu persista , decat maxim o ora ! Este foarte slab ! Complet dezamagita ! Mirosul este placut, foarte usor, fin, putin dulce, citric...nu este acel cypre la care m-am asteptat ! Miros placut, usor, fin, fara silaj si persistenta ! No !

My signature scent year round, but better worn spring-summer. I'm on my 7th bottle. This is such a complex fragrance, without being overbearing or headache inducing, doesn't turn soapy or powdery. Citrus in the opening that settles into cashmere type scent, warm but not a gourmand, very fresh without being cold. It projects nicely, lasts a few hours before I feel the need to reapply. I can't recommend it enough,very unisex. If you're in Canada, Shoppers Drugmart usually carries it in their perfume for 21.99$ section !

My Impressions as a Man of Laura Biagiotti Roma for Women (My girlfriend wears it). I own Laura Biagiotti Roma for Men. Compared to Roma for Women, Roma for Men is noticeably sweeter, leaning more toward a sweet orange sorbet dessert, while Roma for Women feels much more floral and also more mature. Despite its modest price, the fragrance comes across as quite complex and well-structured. It opens with a natural sweetness – a kind of “calorie-free” sweetness – as the ripe grapefruit note is most apparent. After a few minutes, it transforms into a beautiful, pleasant floral summer fragrance. (A fresh, floral summer scent often leaves a better impression than an ultra-sweet, synthetic one). As a man, I find it to be an excellent, beautiful, natural, and authentic women’s fragrance for summer, one that is very easy for women to wear. It doesn’t come across as a seductive scent, but rather as a perfect everyday companion in spring and summer. At first, I found the sillage to be quite strong, but unfortunately it fades rather quickly. Longevity could also be much better – the same issue I have with Roma for Men. What really makes the fragrance convincing are these natural floral notes that capture spring and summer in an honest, authentic, and realistic way. A wonderful women’s fragrance – timeless. It evokes the image of a beautiful holiday in Italy in spring or summer: you smell the flowers, stroll through ancient streets, or relax on the beach and enjoy the sun.

It's very nice, but very vintage, too. It smells like what a beautiful lady in her 30s would wear a sunny autumn day back in the 80s. Not for me.

I LOVE this! Autumn in a bottle!! CK without the men’s cologne notes. At the start the grapefruit (my nose read pineapple) can be off putting, but give it 10-15 minutes and OH MY GOD!! Best kept secret in the world I feel like! It’s got those cozy cinnamon / fall / Christmas spices going on, a nice well rounded vanillic-amber base and a Smokey veil. Sweet (caramel-amber accord) but not too sweet. Not chemically or candy sweet. It’s a chique and sophisticated blend and yet soooo cozy and makes you want to drink a chai latte or hot coco/ hot wine with cinnamon while it rains outside. Everything I love! It’s so cozy! 🍂🍁🥮 Top of the shelf, ordering backup straight away! I used to see this in shops ALL the time as a teenager, I never tried it because the bottle reminded me of another fragrance that I didn’t like so I got the two confused 😳 Boy was I missing out. Only discover the glory now at 38.

Roma is Shalimar's grown grandchild in a bathing suit, licking a cool and refreshing set of creamsicles, grapefruit and orange blossom flavored, washing them down with a bergamot mojito while a breeze brings windswept, sandy carnations and beach roses. It's a mouthwatering, astringent summer jouissance of an amber, offering up an enveloping sunset glow of myrrh and vanilla with just the slightest carnal tang deep within. It makes me wish I could drink it like it was something along the lines of an Aperol Spritz, all vibrant orange and bubbly, and with the smoothest form of intoxication. It makes me fantasize about a holiday in Rome I never had; cruising down the Amalfi Coast on a Vespa. It makes me want to own a condo with a deck overlooking an ocean, to recline languorously, wearing linen pants and listening to Swing Out Sister or Basia, losing sense of time.

I won’t lie — when I saw "castoreum" and "civet" listed in the notes, I winced. I was even scared to smell it. But in reality, Roma is truly beautiful! I was expecting something overwhelmingly animalic, but it turned out to be a gorgeous amber fragrance, with soft touches of rose and vanilla, and a bright bergamot note that really stands out. In the end, it’s a warm, sensual, oriental perfume that genuinely surprised me and, once again, challenged my preconceptions. You can clearly tell it doesn’t belong to our era, but it still feels entirely wearable and even modern in its own way. Roma was a lovely discovery.

This is a lovely fragrance! I found it on a flea market site and was somehow drawn to it, so I bought it. I believe it’s a 5ml Eau de Toilette from the 1990s. Looking at the market, it’s interesting to note that there seem to be different distribution routes for this fragrance in Japan. One version is Italian-made, imported by Max Factor. The other is British-made, imported by Doshisha. Maybe they are from different periods. The one I got is the Italian version. Considering I bought this 5ml mini bottle for only $2.50, it probably wasn’t a well-known fragrance here. It’s no longer sold in Japan. Sadly, the number of shops that carry imported perfumes—except for famous luxury brands—has decreased drastically here… I especially love the top notes of this perfume. Bitter orange sparkling over the Mediterranean, and either mint or basil—a green herbal scent. It reminds me of bitter orange trees and fruits glowing under the sun, their thick green leaves… Then comes the bouquet-like middle: not sugary-sweet, but a floral with green leafy nuances. As it dries down, it reminds me of vintage Shalimar, with a powdery sweet vanilla and resin. It smells like ancient stone walls and pillars, still warm from the midday sun, now bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun— slightly dusty, warm, and somehow nostalgic. To me, this is not a scent for the height of summer, but for the time when you can already feel its end. I love it deeply. I wish I had been an adult during the time when this fragrance was still readily available in stores.

This was one of my first perfume loves as a teenager, i had it in a small tester but never bought a big bottle. Now i did❤️ I adore the warm undertones and the powdery drydown but the opening is a bit sour. Still cant help but love it❤️ Its both tart and uplifting, warm and comforting. Just as i remember. Edit; Ive actually grown to really love the ”sour” opening. Its fresh, tart, uplifting and green. Such a lovely contrast to the warm powdery drydown. They complement eachother so well. The best if both worlds🥰

I tried this in a duty free in Rome. It was love at first sniff. This is the pure femininity in a bottle. It smells sensual and pure natural beauty. Clean, elegant and conservative. A woman that is in her true feminine essence, not need of hiding anything but being her natural beauty herself. I had to buy it!

I absolutely adore this perfume. My mum used to wear it and when I turned 18 she would let me wear it on special occasions. Now I bought my own bottle of the reformulated Roma, and the smell is not the exact same. I still love it, I wear it, I love having it on my skin. It's so elegant and clean and warm to me. However, the longevity cannot be compared. The reformulated toilette lasts about 4-5 hours tops, whereas the previous one would last at least 8 hours on skin and several days on clothes.

Opens with a joyful grapefruit-splash, elegant and balanced by the well-chosen floral, herbal and fruity accords. Unfortunately, it dries down quickly to a cheap (pleasant though) vanilla base. I am pretty sure that this is not the original formulation; Roma is known as a quality classic and the bottle that I've just purchased is far from this. I am still happy with it, I have purchased 100ml at a good price and I believe that I can understand the beautiful character of Roma despite the current ingredients used. So yes, I’d still recommend it - just with a little managed expectation.