So many scents make me think of summer. Lemon zest, for example. Or, the blossom as I deadhead our rose garden. But there’s only one scent that moves me, body and soul, into summer. A scent that makes me pause, breathe deep and relax my shoulders.
It’s the scent of the caramello al burro salato, from Gelateria Dei Neri in Florence. Or, to be more specific, the heady sticky sweet scent of the Italian city in the height of summer. Then, the welcome scent of air-con air as you step into the gelateria and then the deep, sweet scent of the salted caramel butter wafting up towards me.
I take mine dolloped next to a piccolo coppetta of caffè gelato and I have to wait until I’m back outside, magical summer scents flooding in, to take my first bite.
It’s one of the most powerful scent moments in my life, tragically only to be experienced during our trips to Florence. But, all the sweeter for it.