Ex Manifattura Tabacchi: Naples as seen through the eyes of a reader and a signature fragrance.

A new way to tell stories is emerging in Naples: a novel accompanied by a fragrance designed to enhance the sensory immersion. It's called Ex Manifattura Tabacchi, and is the work of Rosaria Angerosa. It will be published by Homo Scrivens in 2026, and distributed alongside a fragrance of the same name created by the artistic perfumery Floridia Parfum. This concept, still rare in Italy, brings together three distinct languages—narrative, image, and scent—to offer the reader an experience that transcends the pages and reaches the skin.

The idea was born in the shadow of Vesuvius: two Neapolitan businesses decided to accompany the story with a dedicated fragrance, not as a promotional item but as an integral part of the narrative. Ex Manifattura Tabacchi is the first example of this formula on a local scale: a historic Neapolitan location, the Manifattura Tabacchi, becomes the protagonist not only of the words but also of a scent capable of evoking places, memories, and atmospheres linked to the neighborhood and the city.

The book takes readers inside one of the city's most iconic industrial spaces, placing smell at the center of the narrative experience. At the center is Lucia, a character who, after twenty-three years, thought she knew every smell of the Manifattura Tabacchi. When an inexplicable trace creeps in between the Kentucky tobacco and the wood of the crates, the story becomes a question: what truly remains of a place when its occupants leave? It's a memory that unfolds between recollections, shared habits, and daily gestures, where some things seem to need no retention to endure.

The project was born from the synergy of three languages: the written word, the cover image created by Angerosa herself, and a fragrance designed to accompany the reading. Rosaria Angerosa, a trained educator and co-founder of Floridia Parfum, also curated the book's concept art. The fragrance, built on the same notes as the olfactory narrative, has received international recognition: it is a finalist in the 2025 Art and Olfaction Awards in the Independent category, an award that recognizes independent perfumery and confirms the project's artistic commitment, not simply a commercial partnership.

The Ex Manifattura Tabacchi fragrance is described as belonging to the woody-aromatic group. The opening is enveloping, with the power of tobacco combined with hints of violet and myrtle. The heart softens with vanilla and lavender, while the base adds depth thanks to guaiac wood and smoky notes. The chosen notes are intended to convey on the skin what the pages describe, offering the reader a sensorial extension of the reading and, at the same time, a tangible memory of the eastern area of ​​Naples.

The book-and-fragrance formula isn't just symbolic: it's distributed through traditional publishing channels and select local perfumeries. Furthermore, the project will premiere at the Campania Libri Festival, taking place from October 1st to 4th at the Palazzo Reale in Naples. This preview underscores the commitment to bringing this narrative approach beyond bookstores, bringing it to life in the ears and scents of the city.

About the author: Rosaria Angerosa is Neapolitan by birth, an educator, and co-founder of Floridia Parfum. In addition to writing, she works in graphic design and drawing; she also designed the book's cover. Her connection to Naples is central to her creative journey: Floridia takes its name from the Villa Floridiana in Vomero, a space that evokes a personal memory and a strong connection to the neighborhood. Her practice begins with an emotion or a memory and transforms into narrative form, often metamorphosing from perfumery to writing. With Ex Manifattura Tabacchi, Angerosa expands this journey: the memory of a Neapolitan factory becomes a tale populated by voices, gestures, and atmospheres, offering a reflection on what an industrial enterprise can leave behind in people when it disappears.

This project is more than just a container for new senses: it's a language that places memory at the center, highlighting olfactory details as tools for understanding the past and the urban landscape. The cover, also designed by the author, closes the circle between word, image, and smell, offering the reader a multifaceted experience that invites us to read with our minds and our senses.

With Ex Manifattura Tabacchi, Naples confirms its status not only as a backdrop for stories, but also as a laboratory for new narrative forms. An industrial memory, a neighborhood that recalls, and a scent capable of conveying what the pages tell: a reading caught between thought and perception, ready to return to the hands of those who know how to listen with their senses.