Orto Botanico di Palermo38° 07′ N · 13° 22′ E
founded in 1789
L’Orto Madre.
The Orto Botanico di Palermo, Orto Madre of Spezieria Siciliana.
Why we collaborate, and why we work together on the R&D project HORTUS OLFACTORIUS.
A living catalogue of Sicilian flora
Founded in 1789, the Orto Botanico di Palermo is one of the oldest scientific institutions in Europe and today part of the Museum System of the University of Palermo. It holds more than 12,000 plant species from every climate zone on the planet, a germplasm bank devoted to endemic, rare or threatened species of Sicilian and Mediterranean flora and – in the Giardino dei Semplici – more than a hundred medicinal and aromatic species.
It is, in a word, a living catalogue: Sicily has more than 3,000 native vascular species, about 10% of Europe’s flora concentrated in less than 1% of its territory, with some 200 endemics. For a house that works with the island’s botanical material, this is the mother garden: the reference collection to start from, documented and alive.
A five-year agreement
Spezieria Siciliana has signed a renewable five-year agreement with the Orto Botanico for the SiciliaScent programme: sensory and educational itineraries, the promotion of Sicily’s botanical heritage through scientific storytelling, and the research, development and marketing of natural perfumery and cosmetic products rooted in the island’s botanical heritage.
The agreement gives Spezieria two enclosed spaces in the Orto – one in the Historic Herbarium room, in the Gymnasium, and the Casa del Pozzo, where two steam-distillation units are installed – as well as outdoor areas for public activities.
A collaboration already under way
The bond is already at work. In 2026 we held two events together: Respiri di Primavera, on 23 March, and the olfactory experiences during the Festa della Zagara. A shared effort that has already met the public.
Why research and development happens here
The R&D project we are setting up needs exactly what the Orto and the University of Palermo make available.
- The material and the knowledge of it
Access to the botanical collections, scientific databases and germplasm; the expertise of specialist staff; chemical characterisation of the essential oils of native species and study of their secondary metabolites. This is the basis for selecting cultivars rich in active compounds and for developing new essences from Sicily’s heritage.
- Extraction, on site
The two steam-distillation units in the Casa del Pozzo allow demonstration distillations and real trials, comparing traditional methods and modern techniques to see which best preserve the olfactory complexity of the plant.
- Independent validation
Every batch of critical material is analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the STEBICEF and SAAF laboratories: every component is identified and quantified, adulterants are detected even in traces, and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry distinguishes a natural molecule from a chemically identical synthetic one. In this way declared naturalness becomes data that can be published and checked. In a sector where a European Commission screening of 344 suspect green claims found 42% of them exaggerated, false or deceptive (2021), this is the difference between a claim and proof.
- Mapping the territory
Research on the distribution, chemotypes and terroir of Sicilian aromatic species turns the generic idea of ‘territoriality’ into a precise olfactory atlas that anchors each fragrance to real plants and places.
In the Historic Herbarium room a workshop of contemporary perfume is also taking shape: a botanical immersion among the collections, guided by a University lecturer; an olfactory tasting of essential oils with Spezieria’s Nose; the composition of a personal accord. A slow, mindful way to experience Sicily, in step with the growth of experiential and cultural luxury.
For Spezieria Siciliana, the Orto Botanico is more than a prestigious setting: it is the scientific and symbolic point of reference that anchors olfactory research in a botanical heritage that is real, documented and alive. The University brings credibility and rigour, the Orto brings historical roots and access to biodiversity, research guarantees transparency and innovation.
This is what makes each fragrance a rendering – rigorous and poetic at once – of Mediterranean biodiversity, and the R&D project a scientific endeavour with verifiable results.