There aren’t many brands that can make me excited for both the height of summer and the coldest days of winter, but Acqua di Parma does. Its seasonal releases feel like icons in their own right, each perfectly suited to the moment they arrive. This autumn, I fell in love with Cedro Virtuoso: hazelnut, tonka bean, musk and cedarwood make it feel like a little skip into the colder months. And now, the festive collection has me just as excited.
Grand Hotel Sprezzatura is the inspiration for the Holiday 2026 collection: an imagined hotel high in the Italian Dolomites, brought to life through the colourful work of Italian artist Agostino Iacurci. His playful designs weave together alpine details, architectural shapes and theatrical faces, giving the collection the feeling of a festive escape. The Advent Calendar takes the idea most literally, unfolding like a miniature hotel with windows to open as the countdown begins.
The limited-edition ceramics are particularly special. Handcrafted and hand-painted in Tuscany, the bottles, candles and diffusers take their names from the hotel’s characters: Alfredo, Clementina and Tobia. Their sculptural shapes and distinctive details make them feel like keepsakes as much as fragrance objects.
That sense of occasion is something I’ve always loved about Acqua di Parma’s seasonal collections. I still have candles from previous seasons, now repurposed to hold my pens and makeup brushes. Even once the fragrance has gone, the limited-edition designs are too beautiful to put away.
And then there’s Panettone. It will always be my favourite festive scent from Acqua di Parma. I try to make it last all year, topping it up each season, but there’s something especially lovely about bringing it back into the house as winter draws in. Bosco and Torrone add further seasonal notes to the candle and diffuser collection, each wrapped in the vivid Grand Hotel Sprezzatura design.
Two other Acqua di Parma favourites have a place in my life all year round. My dad loves Colonia, so I give him a bottle every year. Its sparkling citrus opening of lemon, sweet orange and Calabrian bergamot gives way to an aromatic heart of lavender, rose, verbena and rosemary, with vetiver, sandalwood and patchouli beneath. It’s such a timeless, unmistakable fragrance—and a gift I know he’ll always enjoy.
My own everyday luxury is the Buongiorno Hand Ritual gift set, which I keep beside the kitchen sink for a little moment of joy in the middle of the day. The festive set pairs hand wash and hand lotion in refillable glass bottles, dressed in Iacurci’s theatrical Grand Hotel design.
Alongside the seasonal pieces, the collection dresses some of the house’s best-loved fragrances, including Colonia Il Profumo, Buongiorno and Zafferano, in festive editions. Gift sets span the Colonia, Buongiorno, Blu Mediterraneo and Signatures of the Sun collections, while Italian-made objects such as the Olé Pocket Comb & Mirror bring a little of the house’s Arte di Vivere beyond fragrance.
For me, Acqua di Parma has a way of making a season feel like an occasion. Its Holiday 2026 collection brings together scent, craftsmanship and design in a world that feels distinctly Italian: colourful, thoughtful and made to be enjoyed. And with Panettone back for the festive season, I already know what I’ll be topping up.
