Antonio Alessandria Pluvia Sacra, artwork by Ermano
The storm came three days in a row. No one could explain it. The sculptor had planned to leave with his crucifix carved in cherry wood; his work was finished, and his path was clear. But each time he tried, the sky closed in with rain and wind, the kind of weather that feels like a premonition. In a small church on the slopes of Mount Etna, the crucifix remained. Centuries later, it still does. From that moment, suspended somewhere between history and miracle, Antonio Alessandria found the inspiration for a fragrance. He didn’t try to recreate the legend. He let it breathe. Its name is Pluvia Sacra.
In 1540, a sculptor named Giovanni Antonio Matinati was traveling through the Sicilian interior bearing a cherry wood crucifix, solemn, and carved with care, destined for another village, deeper into the island. He sought shelter in Randazzo’s Church of San Martino, laying the crucifix down only until the road cleared. But the next morning, and the morning after, and again the next, storms descended in defiance of departure. Rain fell, roads flooded, winds rose—three times, the sculptor tried to leave. Three times, he was turned back. The townspeople saw not chance, but divine insistence. The crucifix was meant to remain. And so it did—enshrined in stone, named Crocifisso della Pioggia, the Crucifix of the Rain, still venerated to this day.
The Crucifix of the rain in Randazzo’s Church of Saint Martin, Sicily via wiki
Antonio Alessandria has distilled this legend into Pluvia Sacra, not by leaning on incense or churchy cliché, but through a composition that moves like the storm itself: sudden, tender, inevitable. In his narration, this perfume is about the smell of age-old wood, the comfort in the legend, and the unexpected sprinkling of holy rain, a blessing twist that makes everything bourgeon. Being close friends with Antonio, I had the chance to smell the work in progress, but I only got to experience the final release at the official launch cocktail party he hosted during Esxence last February.
The opening is a vivid impression of a drenched volcanic landscape. The citrus is luminous and wild with bittersweet, bracing fruitiness: Calabrian bergamot and grapefruit. But it’s not brightness that leads; it’s awakening. Weedy galbanum and watery celery seed add green sharpness, vegetal crunch, and an almost feral vitality, like jarred saplings and branches trembling under rainfall. Hints of petrichor whiff in, the earthy breath that rises when water touches sunbaked ground, and there is something deeper still, a tremble in the air, the moment when stillness breaks, and a solemn unfolding begins.
These initial moments feel alive with movement: mineral, aromatic, and invigorating, as if the first drops of rain were slicing through a landscape thirsty for life. Cutting through this vibrant greenness is a faintly powdery, almondy delicacy, reminiscent of cherry blossom petals and pollen, an ethereal nod to the cherry wood crucifix at the heart of the legend. This also mingles with the sawdust texture of Virginian cedarwood, dry and impalpable, that cuts through the sparkling humidity like the dense glow of dust from old walls and woods floating in the air and filling the light, cutting through with a dense diffraction effect.
Antonio Alessandria with Ermano during the Pluvia Sacra official cocktail party in Milan
But Antonio Alessandria Pluvia Sacra does not linger in the storm. It shifts as swiftly as the end of a summer shower. Into this reverent calm, the blossoms don’t scream their presence but hover with the olive-oil density of jasmine and the solar milkiness of white petals. More than a bouquet, these florals mingle into a halo, a soft exhale after the bedlam, the scent of peace settling in a sanctuary still echoing with thunder.
And then, the beauty of sandalwood is magnified by the accord composed by Antonio Alessandria, built primarily from amyris wood, with its sweet, balsamic warmth and roasted, powdery, almost cookie-like facets. Its peppery freshness recalls the green dimension of Mysore sandalwood, bringing depth and elegance while supporting the fragrance’s introspective soul. Reinterpreting this sacred material, traditionally used for sculpting deities, the scent flows with the smoothness of something shaped by time and steeped in reverence.
Amyris – Flore médicale des Antilles, ou, Traité des plantes usuelles : des colonies Françaises, Anglaises, Espagnoles et Portugaises – M.E. & J.T. Descourtilz (1827)
A gentle touch of amber folds into the base, along with natural vanilla and a veil of musk. These notes do not assert themselves; they comfort, like a hand resting on the shoulder or the low flicker of a candle in the gloom of a quiet chapel. There’s the peaceful powderiness of vanilla, addictive although sugar-free, a sweet belief that something greater holds the weight for us when we cannot.
Antonio Alessandria Pluvia Sacra flacons on display during the official lunch cocktail party. photo Ermano
What sets Antonio Alessandria Pluvia Sacra apart is its restraint. It does not aim to impress in the first five minutes. It is a fragrance that stays, one that lingers on skin the way stories linger in stone, quietly demanding to be remembered.
“When raindrops touch the earth, they bring with them the promise of new life… after life’s storms, there is always hope for a new beginning.”— Antonio Alessandria
In a world fractured by noise, by conflict, by intolerance, by war, by the constant need to speak louder than the next voice, Antonio Alessandria Pluvia Sacra offers something altogether different: a pause. It is a moment of stillness carved into scent, a quiet held gently between the chaos, where memory, reverence, and beauty can rise unhurried to the surface. Through the sensitive mastery of Antonio Alessandria turns a tale into olfactory meditation, a way of anchoring oneself to what is sacred, enduring, and human. And in times like these, that might be exactly what we need.
Notes: Calabrian Bergamot, Grapefruit, Galbanum, Celery Seeds, Earthy Notes, Lily of the valley, Jasmine, White Flowers, Sandalwood, Amyris, Cedarwood Virginia, Vanilla, Amber, Musks
Flacon gifted by Antonio Alessandria – thank you so much! My opinions are my own.
Ermano Picco, Editor
Official Brand Photo
Thanks to the generosity of Antonio Alessandria Parfums we have one 50 ml bottle Pluvia Sacra for one registered reader in the U.S. or EU only. You must be registered or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment on Ermano’s review of Antonio Alessandria Pluvia Sacra, where you live and if you are familiar with Antonio Alessandria Parfums. Draw closes 4/4/2025
Antonio Alessandria received our Best of Scent Artisan Perfumer-Ermano and Michelyn 2022
Please read the 3 Antonio Alessandria Perfumes you Should be wearing, Gattopardo, Fleurs et Flammes and Fara by Lauryn.
Steven included Rusty Vibes which was created for CafleureBon’s 10th anniversary in his top top 10 tropical perfumes review and 3 unique summer fragrances 2024
Indigo Perfumery carries most of the brand but some are sold out. Perfumology also carries a selection including the popular Rusty Vibes
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