A carriage with a long and sumptuous retinue arrived in the courtyard of the Royal Palace. Awaiting it was the entire French court, curious and animated by a frisson of vibrant excitement. Out of it stepped a petite girl with a refined air. She was Catherine de´ Medici, niece of Pope Clement VII, who had come to meet the King of France and his son Henry, Duke of Orleans, to whom she was betrothed.

It was a time when hygiene was little cared for even by the aristocrats who frequented the court. In fact, it is said that the young 14-year-old girl, who had arrived in the presence of the royals, fainted as a result of the foul-smelling exhalations from the crowd and exhaustion from the long journey. Mistaken for a profound and respectful bow, it immediately earned her the sovereign's benevolence. From her Florence, the Renaissance capital of perfume, Catherine brought the best of perfumers, who, thanks to their knowledge in the distillation of compounds, created fragrant essences with an enveloping aroma for her. These were soon sought after and coveted by the entire nobility. She became an innovative and elegant ruler, master of the secrets of success at court: distinction in dress, refined manners and above all a bewitching perfume that favoured and refined personal relationships.