The Nose knows

Deep in the Bassa Friulana, in the town of Gradiscutta di Varmo, lives a Friulian original, a master perfumer named Lorenzo Dante Ferro. Along with his American wife Cynthia, daughter Carolina, and brother Luciano and sister-in-law Silvia, he maintains a centuries-old tradition. Lorenzo is one of this region’s trailblazing originals, safeguarding a tradition while finding relevance for it in the twenty-first century.

Although I have a highly developed sense of smell, Lorenzo’s understanding of its impact changed how I approached Friuli-Venezia Giulia and all food and wine. Now, I smell everything before and as I taste it, and let flavors in my mouth reach my palate, so that my nose is suffused with more fragrances of food and drink. By incorporating my nose in the process, I taste things more slowly and fully. I discovered that this is how many people in the region eat, too.