Notes from the Scent Front: The Guardian of a Living Perfume Heritage in Venice
2026 . 05 . 25 |
When one thinks about Venice, it is with a sense of wonder. This floating city, veiled in mystery and secrets, was once the richest and most powerful maritime republic in Europe. Spices, textiles, precious materials, ideas, and artistry all passed through La Serenissima, shaping not only commerce but culture itself. Perfumery was part of that story wherein Venice played a pivotal role in the evolution of fragrance. However, this story remains somewhat unknown.
Earlier this year, I traveled to Venice to explore how that legacy lives on today through a founder deeply committed to artistic perfumery and to the preservation of Venetian craftsmanship: Marco Vidal, CEO of The Merchant of Venice.
Vidal has not simply a passion for fragrance, but a sense of stewardship. He sees perfumery as inseparable from Venice itself - its artistic traditions, historic institutions, and endangered artisanal knowledge. Through collaborations with heritage houses such as Fortuny and partnerships with cultural institutions including the Palazzo Mocenigo, the is helping ensure that Venice remains not merely a backdrop for luxury, but a living center of craftsmanship and artistic creation.
The Venetian Gentleman
A trip to Venice is never complete without visiting the flagship shop of the Merchant of Venice and meeting with Marco Vidal. The Vidal family traces its roots back to the founding families of Venice and has spent generations working within fragrance and beauty. Since launching The Merchant of Venice in 2014, Vidal has built a brand dedicated to artistic perfumery while reaffirming Venice’s historic role in the culture of scent.
The Merchant of Venice is inspired by the centuries-old perfume tradition of Venice while the fragrances are created from a diverse and global palette of notes and accords. Vidal has taken on several projects that build brand notoriety
Located in the charming Campo San Fantin beside the famed opera house Teatro La Fenice, entering this boutique is tantamount to stepping into a time machine. The palatial, 19th century décor with its elegant paneling, carved walnut woodwork and stunning terracotta allegorical statues reinforces the sense that scent here is part of the artistic and cultural heritage.
That dialogue between perfume, art, and Venetian history continues in Renaissance, the newest addition to the Murano Exclusives collection, launching in July. Created by perfumer Calice Becker, the scent is opulent and magical, transporting the wearer back to the days when spices, woods, and incense passed through Venetian trade routes. The exquisite pattern on the flacon, in the collections’ signature blue and gold, references Venetian artistic heritage, drawing from Giovanni Bellini’s Young Woman in Front of the Mirror (notice the scarf around her head).
Just in time for Summer 2026, Rococò, the cocoa-infused, powdery favorite from the Murano Exclusives collection first launched in 2015, will become Rococò 26, a new gourmand fragrance by the original perfumer, Dalia Izem.
After an indulgent moment refamiliarizing myself with the Merchant of Venice fragrances, we sat down to talk about 2026 and the future. Marco Vidal is not one to stand still: it was only March and already he had launched a new line of Eau de Cologne and Eau de Parfum, complete with a freestanding shop located in the heart of Venice’s upscale shopping district.
Spezieria di San Marco reinforces the link between Venice’s heritage in pharmacopeia and “acqua mirabilis”, the precursor to eau de cologne. Beautifully packaged with a modern nod to the iconic lion of Venice, The line consists of citrus based scents and body products.
The next 18 months are brimming with both ambitious projects and others that foster the future of the industry through knowledge and experiences.
In June, the brand will roll out their amenity program with the Alhambra hotel, a luxury property on the Croatian island of Lussino. A boutique will follow. The island is rich in myrtle, sage and rosemary, ingredients found in several MOV fragrances. The amenity program will also be replicated in two Jumeirah hotels in Dubai.
Vidal also lectures for the Master in Business Management program, Fragrance and Cosmetics, which is organized by ISIPCA, the University of Padua and the Université Saint Quentin Versailles. His support for future leaders of our industry is evident: he has extended a six-month Venetian residency to 2 student perfumers from the program. What an incredible opportunity and a meaningful investment in the future of artistic perfumery.
His collaborations within Venice are equally thoughtful. In September, we can expect the preview of a highly anticipated collaboration with the legendary Venetian house Fortuny, renowned for the use of exquisite fabrics as well as the Delphos style. A trio of scents, each inspired by a woman who was close to Mariano Fortuny, will unite fragrance, textile heritage, theatrical design, and Venetian artistry. Celebrated set designer Pier Luigi Pizzi (the man behind the interiors of the Fortuny museum in Venice, and the mise en scene at the Palazzo Mocenigo Textile and Fashion museum) is designing the flacon.
Vidal’s support of Venetian cultural institutions extends to the Palazzo Mocenigo, where a forthcoming exhibition dedicated to the art of scenting interiors will highlight historical incense burners, diffusers, and decorative olfactory objects. The project feels especially resonant given that the Vidal family’s soap production once began in this very palazzo generations ago.
The new year will also bring a new location, the third in Venice. “Our new shop will be at the Scuola Grande di San Marco, the original location of the Spezieria di San Marco. It was in this neighborhood that you had the first apothecaries that later became pharmacies. The historic link to fragrance is meaningful for us.”
More than a luxury brand founder, Marco Vidal emerges as a custodian of Venetian fragrance culture - someone using artistic perfumery to sustain the city’s creative identity, support historic institutions, and ensure that Venice’s artisanal traditions remain vibrant for future generations.
As I reflect back on our conversation, I’m inspired by the sheer beauty of the projects, by the scents themselves and by the creativity behind them.
Marco Vidal understands artistic perfumery as something larger than product launches or luxury branding. His work is rooted in preservation: preserving Venetian craftsmanship, sustaining historic institutions, championing local artisans, and protecting forms of knowledge that risk disappearing in an increasingly homogenized luxury landscape.
Whether through collaborations with Fortuny, support for cultural landmarks like Palazzo Mocenigo, or investments in the next generation of perfumers and artisans, this leader is using fragrance as a vehicle for cultural continuity.
In Venice, perfume has always been intertwined with glassmaking, textiles, trade, ritual, and beauty. What Vidal is doing today is ensuring that this uniquely Venetian vision of artistic perfumery - rooted in craftsmanship, collaboration, and cultural memory - continues to live and evolve.