Unlike much of the Italian countryside, the land around the castle has avoided industrial agriculture, preserving a biodiverse ecosystem shaped by Etruscan, Roman, and medieval life. This layered terrain forms the basis for a project treating scent as both historical evidence and living material.

Combining olfactory field research, historical perfumery scholarship, and archaeology, the collaboration examines scent as a bridge between environmental history and the ritual, domestic, and horticultural practices of past communities. Susan’s earlier residencies at Potentino produced a mapped scent walk and field guide documenting the valley’s aromatic plants, resins, woods, soils, and subtle human traces. The next phase integrates ongoing fieldwork with Michael’s research into medieval medicinal plants, reconstructed ancient perfumes, and public scholarship on humanity’s enduring bond with aromatic botanicals.

Archaeological research into a Franciscan monastery and the surrounding Etruscan and Roman farming land adds material evidence to this exploration of Potentino’s sensory histories.

The team works through three intertwined approaches:

• ecological observation of Potentino’s biodiversity;

• study of textual and archaeological sources on Mediterranean perfumery;

• experimental reconstruction via historically grounded fragrances.

Rather than seeing perfumery solely as aesthetic, the project practices “sensory anastylosis”—reassembling ecological and historical fragments into materially plausible experiences. These reconstructed scents invite contemporary audiences to encounter the valley’s sensory past and connect with enduring human and ecological continuities.