Un Paseo por Madrid - El cielo sobre la Plaza de Oriente

Un Paseo por Madrid captures that peculiar Madrid moment when afternoon light softens into evening—a fragrance that smells like wandering through Plaza de Oriente as the city exhales. This is florals rendered with surprising restraint; the neroli and tangerine opening suggests citrus, but what follows is decidedly not fresh-casual. Rather, Emilio Valeros constructs something altogether more contemplative, where orange blossom and jasmine don't chirp cheerfully but instead settle into a warm, honeyed reverie. There's an almost velvet quality to the heart, courtesy of ylang-ylang's buttery restraint beneath the florals—it prevents the composition from veering into soapy territory.

What distinguishes this from standard floral-ambers is the cocoa note's behaviour. Rather than adding gourmand sweetness, it introduces an unexpected earthiness, a dusty warmth that speaks to terracotta buildings and old stone. The frankincense arrives as a grounding agent, lending the sweetness a spiritual dimension—less perfume-counter decadence, more incense-threaded contemplation. The spice (that ginger from the top) never announces itself loudly; instead, it weaves through like a barely perceptible warmth.