In this episode of "On Tour with Nose", Silvio Ruocco, owner of Carthusia, and Virginia Ruocco open the doors of the house from Capri. A brand founded in 1948, saved fifteen years ago on a leap of faith, and carried today by a family that has made attention to detail a philosophy — as they say in Italian: un vero lavoro certosino.
Carthusia: a history saved by the heart
About fifteen years ago, Carthusia was on the verge of disappearing. Silvio Ruocco, whose fascination with alchemy and laboratories goes back to childhood, made his decision — in his own words — "more with the heart than with reason." He bought the house and set about relaunching it. Behind this gesture, a broader concern: seeing the authentic brands of Capri progressively supplanted by the large international names investing in the island.
His experience in jewellery guided him through this takeover: it is a sector where attention to the smallest detail is an absolute requirement, not an option. This rigour he transposed directly to Carthusia.
Fiori di Capri: the founding legend
The history of Carthusia goes back to the 13th century, to what was then known as the Carthusia — before becoming the Certosa di San Giacomo. Legend has it that to welcome Queen Joan of Anjou, who was supporting the construction of the charterhouse, the prior gathered a multitude of flowers and submerged them in water as an offering. The blending of all these varieties gave rise to an unexpected fragrance. This founding moment gave its name to the house's first perfume: Fiori di Capri.
The official brand dates from 1948 — but it is this medieval legend that forms its DNA. Capri as territory, the flower as material, transmission as method.
The fragrances: Capri in a bottle
The Carthusia range draws directly from the island's imagination and botanics. Gelsomini di Capri celebrates jasmine — one of the flowers most present on Capri, which covers entire walls according to Virginia Ruocco. Ligea draws its inspiration from the Sirens' Rock located beneath Marina Piccola: Ligea is the name of one of the sirens said to have tried to capture Ulysses. The fragrance is composed of white rose and mandarin.
Mediterraneo, meanwhile, embodies the aromatic character of the Mediterranean man — a line that extends to the shaving products used by Armando, the house barber, whom Silvio Ruocco has made a fully-fledged figure of the Carthusia universe.
A local house, a global reach
Almost all Carthusia products are made on Capri itself, in what Silvio Ruocco describes as "the smallest laboratory in the world." Working with the island's residents is both an ethical and economic decision: it allows the house to operate twelve months a year, without depending solely on the summer tourist peak.
Today, Carthusia bottles can be found in New York, Paris and Spain — but everything was conceived and crafted under the Capri sun. Virginia Ruocco puts it simply: "I try to express all of this essence through the Carthusia fragrances." Discover Carthusia and the Capri fragrance collection in our selection below.
