FOROF is increasingly becoming the ‘home’ of emotions experienced in total freedom. A unique experience born from the collaboration between Laura Bosetti Tonatto, a refined fragrance creator, and the artistic and cultural project founded by Giovanna Caruso Fendi has sparked a wave of deep emotion. The format dedicated to the power of smell was inaugurated in the spaces of Foro Traiano 1 with six of the most important Brazilian luxury travel agencies, hosted by Destination Italy.

The guided tour of Alicja Kwade’s exhibition INFRASUPRA was combined with an in-depth Smelling Session led by the renowned Italian ‘nose’ Bosetti Tonatto: “The sense of smell unleashes the deepest emotions, especially at FOROF, a place that epitomises the very idea of freedom. Even during this session, while testing the fragrances, some of those present were moved to tears: the theme of slavery touches us closely, because we all experience situations and contexts in which we feel enslaved. Freeing ourselves is a need we feel strongly.”

On the underground level, in fact, lie the only remaining coloured marbles that bear witness to the original flooring of the Basilica Ulpia, where the rite of manumissio, the liberation from slavery in the Rome of Emperor Trajan, used to take place. The theoretical and historical insight into the use of perfumes in religions, and the effect they have on individual emotions, deeply engaged the participants, who recognised themselves in the universal value of civil rights.

“We have created a special journey in such a magical place, restoring its sacredness: more than two thousand years ago, this was where freedom was spoken of for the first time,” explained Giovanna Caruso Fendi – “And so, just as Duchamp created Air de Paris, I wanted to recreate Eau de Rome”, that is Forof Essenza, the fragrance telling the story of the Basilica Ulpia, created by Laura Bosetti Tonatto.