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Before she ever became my great-grandmother, Rose Roberto stood on a dock in Calabria with three children at her side and a heart that was breaking.
Years earlier, her husband had left for America, settling in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and working to build a home for the family he hoped one day to bring across the ocean. At last, that day arrived. Rose gathered her children—my grandmother Maria, her brother Jesse, and their sister—and prepared to leave the only home she had ever known.
But Calabria was not easy to leave.
As the ship's departure drew near, Rose wept for the family she was leaving behind, for the sun-drenched hills and orchards she loved, and for a homeland she feared she might never see again. Her eyes became so red from crying that officials believed she carried an infectious eye disease that was spreading aboard ships at the time.
She was refused passage.
In an act of courage almost impossible to imagine today, fourteen-year-old Maria boarded the ship with her younger brother and sister and sailed to America without their mother. Rose remained behind in Calabria. It would be four more years before she was finally reunited with her family in Pennsylvania.
I was fortunate enough to know Rose for a few brief years before she passed away. I remember hearing stories of Calabria—of enormous lemons, fragrant citrus groves, and the treasured bergamot that perfumed the warm Mediterranean air.
Upon Leaving Calabria is dedicated to her memory: a tribute to courage, sacrifice, and the bittersweet beauty of leaving one beloved home in order to build another.
Calabrian bergamot
— radiant, luminous, and sparkling with Mediterranean sunshine
Sweet orange & petitgrain
— bright citrus and green leaves gathered from the orchard
Lavender & neroli
— soft breezes carrying the scent of blossoms through open windows
A trio of woods & musk
— gentle warmth, quiet strength, and the enduring comfort of family
Sunlight on stone walls
A last glance toward home
Love strong enough to cross an ocean
Bittersweet hope
A refined citrus fragrance centered on authentic Calabrian bergamot
Bright and uplifting, yet softened by florals, woods, and musk
Elegant enough for everyday wear and distinctive enough to be remembered
A scent inspired by family history, resilience, and the promise of a new beginning
Before she ever became my great-grandmother, Rose Roberto stood on a dock in Calabria with three children at her side and a heart that was breaking.
Years earlier, her husband had left for America, settling in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and working to build a home for the family he hoped one day to bring across the ocean. At last, that day arrived. Rose gathered her children—my grandmother Maria, her brother Jesse, and their sister—and prepared to leave the only home she had ever known.
But Calabria was not easy to leave.
As the ship's departure drew near, Rose wept for the family she was leaving behind, for the sun-drenched hills and orchards she loved, and for a homeland she feared she might never see again. Her eyes became so red from crying that officials believed she carried an infectious eye disease that was spreading aboard ships at the time.
She was refused passage.
In an act of courage almost impossible to imagine today, fourteen-year-old Maria boarded the ship with her younger brother and sister and sailed to America without their mother. Rose remained behind in Calabria. It would be four more years before she was finally reunited with her family in Pennsylvania.
I was fortunate enough to know Rose for a few brief years before she passed away. I remember hearing stories of Calabria—of enormous lemons, fragrant citrus groves, and the treasured bergamot that perfumed the warm Mediterranean air.
Upon Leaving Calabria is dedicated to her memory: a tribute to courage, sacrifice, and the bittersweet beauty of leaving one beloved home in order to build another.
Calabrian bergamot
— radiant, luminous, and sparkling with Mediterranean sunshine
Sweet orange & petitgrain
— bright citrus and green leaves gathered from the orchard
Lavender & neroli
— soft breezes carrying the scent of blossoms through open windows
A trio of woods & musk
— gentle warmth, quiet strength, and the enduring comfort of family
Sunlight on stone walls
A last glance toward home
Love strong enough to cross an ocean
Bittersweet hope
A refined citrus fragrance centered on authentic Calabrian bergamot
Bright and uplifting, yet softened by florals, woods, and musk
Elegant enough for everyday wear and distinctive enough to be remembered
A scent inspired by family history, resilience, and the promise of a new beginning