PALATINUS

The Palatinus hill was located in the center of the seven hills, not far from the Tiber. Thanks to its flat summit, about 51 meters above sea level, and its steep slopes, easy to defend and sloping down towards the sacred river, it enjoyed a strategic position allowing it to control the Tiberine Port, the river port of the city. Formerly called Palatium, it became, therefore, a privileged and stable location for the patrician homes and, in the imperial age, the seat of the “Palace”, meaning the majestic residence of the emperor. It faced, physically and symbolically, the Aventine hill, belonging to the plebeians, as the opposite social class. Springs gushed from the slopes of the hill, such as the one near Lupercale, the mythical cave where the Tiber current had deposited the basket containing Romulus and Remus, the twins of legend, who were suckled by a she-wolf. The springs fertilized the soil, on which dogwoods, myrtles, figs, holm oaks, cypresses, and laurels grew. This fragrance aims to recall the lush vegetation of the hill and the seat of the imperial majesty (saffron, rhubarb, scarlet jasmine, styrax and vetiver).