Journal

Our Candle Journal is a unique collection of posts and stories about our brand and useful information about all things candle related.

For example, here you will find information on candle care, how to re-purpose your empty candle container, why trimming your wick is important and other helpful information to ensure the best olfactory experience of your Luci di Lucca candle.

Wedding Venue - La Limonaia - Scented candle wedding favours. Connection between scent and memory.

The connection between scent and memory is inextricably linked.  Our sense of smell is the most powerful and evocative of all our senses. The nose is the first thing to greet us in the morning and the last thing to say goodbye at night, but it’s not just the ability to detect scents that sets it apart. The power of scent goes beyond its role as a biological necessity or even a source of pleasure; it plays an important role in our emotional responses, memories, and associations. A particular scent can remind us what we were doing at a particular moment in time, who we were with and where we were.

Making scents of memories.

Scent is powerful. That’s why it’s no surprise that it can be used to create positive memories or emotions. We know that smell is the sense most closely associated with memory, but how does this  connection between scent and memory work? The answer lies in the limbic system – our emotional center of the brain.

The nose has two separate parts: olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb (aka your nose). When you inhale, air passes over these areas and triggers a reaction which sends signals through your nervous system to your brain where it forms an image of what you inhaled based on experience and information from other senses such as touch or sight (this is called cross-modal perception).

Scented weddings

Scent is so powerful, it can evoke emotions and memories in a way that nothing else can. A scented wedding can be as simple as a single candle. The scent of lemon or jasmine can be spread throughout the room by lighting a scented candle in each corner. When the reception is over, you’ll have an aromatic reminder of your big day for years to come. You can also allow guests to take home their own scented candle wedding favor: try putting a small scented candle in a gift bag with an explanation card saying that the candle will help them preserve their memories of your special day!

If you want to create a unique and long lasting memory for your guests, consider incorporating scented candle wedding favors into your wedding planning process – the effect goes beyond simply making people feel relaxed and comfortable!

Piano Nobile - Villa Grabau Lucca

Our Nobile candle fragrance encapsulates a true sense of aristocracy, nobility, power and privilege all in one scent.

It is a tribute to the aristocratic merchant class of Lucca who rose to prominence during the 11th century. In particular,  the families of Cenami, Bonvisi, Antelminelli, Bernardini, Orsetti, Diodati, Cittadella, Castracani, Guinigi, Burlamacchi and Arnolfini became wealthy and powerful as a result of Lucca being the centre of the silk trade.  Through their wealth and power, the city of Lucca became an independent republic and remained so for more than 500 years.  Indeed, in the 14th Century,  Lucca rivaled Florence as the  dominant city of central Italy.

This prosperity of the walled city of Lucca attracted many of Europe’s pre-eminent artists, musicians and architects, who were seeking the patronage of the new aristocracy and merchant class. Opulence was the order of the day, and spectacular villas such as Villa Reale, Torrigiani, Diodati (now Grabau), Bonvisi (now Oliva) and Mansi became well known in the world of refinement, luxury, architectural grandeur and importance. These magnificent residences with their spectacular gardens became a reflection of one’s significance and status in society and their owners went to extraordinary lengths to embellish their gardens with beautiful and exotic plants from around the world.

Olfactory Profile

Top notes: Madagascar black pepper, nutmeg, saffron

Heart notes: damask rose essential oil, rose absolute

Base notes: oud, sandalwood, vetivert

 

Villa Grabau Arial View

The Italian-style garden is an important part of Italy’s historic heritage. According to Pliny the Younger (a lawyer, author and magistrate of Ancient Rome), the purpose of a garden, was “otium,” meaning seclusion, serenity – the opposite of the idea of “negotium” that often classified busy urban life.  A garden was a place to think, relax, contemplate and escape.

Our candle fragrance Otium is inspired is inspired by the Italian Renaissance garden of Villa Grabau. The symmetrical terraced garden has two obelisk shaped Magnolia trees and two large oval lawns encircled by over 70 antique pots of Lemon Trees that bare the coats of arms of many noble families of Lucca.  Perfectly placed pots of geraniums sit atop a balustrade made of Matraia stone.  At the base of the stairs that separate the different garden levels, two spectacular trumpet vines proudly display their large orange flowers.  There are two bronze heads representing the head of Satiro that spout water into fountains embedded in mosaics made from rock crystals, quartz and tufa.  Shady paths twist their way mysteriously through the undergrowth of the hedges of bay laurel and boxwood, with small clearings at intervals, where stone benches and tables entice the stroller to stop and spend some time there.

Olfactory Profile

Top notes: mint, mandarin, lemon, pine needle

Heart notes: neroli, jasmine, petitgrain, ylang ylang

Base notes: cedarwood, amber, vetivert

La Limonaia Story behind the fragrance

Our candle fragrance La Limonaia is inspired by the famous Limonaia at Villa Grabau – an impressive and majestic winter conservatory for the lemon trees.  Vines of  “Ficus pumila” fall from the ceiling’s centuries old beams and the murmur of the ornate wall fountain of Bacchus, God of Wine, adds to the unique and incomparable atmosphere that blurs the boundaries between exterior and interior.   The Limonaia houses the lemon trees from the Italian Garden during the winter season, and also makes for a beautiful and most original reception site for weddings.  During the summer months, the large wooden doors are left open, bringing the fragrant breezes of the garden inside the cool stone walls.

Our elegant scented La Limonaia candle makes the perfect wedding favour gift for guests to take home – the fragrance will create lasting memories of your wedding day in a truly memorable setting.

Olfactory Profile

Top notes: lemon zest, bergamot, Sicilian myrtle

Heart Notes: Florentine Iris, neroli, jasmine

Base notes: oak moss, patchouli, labdanum, cedar wood

Luxury Scented Italian Candles

At Luci di Lucca, the term “luxury” is synonymous with craftsmanship and quality. Creating a luxury candle is a multi-faceted journey – the fragrance, the wax, the wick, the container and the packaging all come together to create a luxury candle experience.

Our Guiding Principles

What makes Luci di Lucca candles stand out from the rest?  Below are our guiding principles:

  1. Slow-crafted – every candle is poured by hand
  2. Small batches – our candles are produced in small batches using traditional methods.  We value quality over quantity.
  3. Beautiful fragrances – All our fragrances are crafted by independent master perfumers – each fragrance tells a unique story.
  4. Premium  Vegetable Wax – We use 100% rapeseed and coconut wax from sustainable European sources.  It burns cleanly and longer than other waxes.  We do not use any paraffin wax.
  5. Cotton wicks –  the wick is a vital part of creating a luxury candle to ensure the candle burns evenly all the way to the end, leaving very little residue.  We use 100% cotton wicks for a clean burn and we spend months and months testing our candles with different wicks to ensure an optimal burn.
  6. Eco-crystal glass vessels – we designed our signature vessels to fit any space.   They are produced in Italy from lead-free eco-crystal, a 100% recyclable material and afterwards, they are hand decorated by Veronese artisans.  Our glasses can be reused as a decorative object around the home when the candle is finished or they can be re-filled with your favourite fragrance.
  7. Sustainably responsible – everything that goes into making our candles and wax melts is sourced from within Italy and Europe and is either re-cyclable or re-usable.  This may make our candles a little more expensive than other cheaper brands, but we believe the level of quality and craftsmanship if our candles is what makes them stand out from the rest.

 

Ideas for re-using your Empty Candle Container

We try to be as sustainable as possible, which is why we offer our candle refills and encourage you to re-cycle your candle container once your candle is finished.  Here are some tips and ideas on how you can re-purpose an empty candle container.

Firstly, you need to clean your candle container once your candle is finished.  You’ll know it’s time to say goodbye to a candle when there is just a small amount of wax remaining at the bottom of your candle container.  Simply clean out your container using hot soapy water. Our vegetable wax blend of rapeseed and coconut wax is water-soluble and easy to remove.  Our wick tab will still be stuck to the bottom of the glass – you can simply pick this off with your finger nail or a teaspoon.

Afterwards, you can re-purpose your empty candle container using some of these ideas:

  • Office storage, homework space – use your empty candle container for keeping things tidy in your office or homework space. You can store pens, pencils, scissors, paperclips and other office items
  • Bathroom storage  – use your empty candle container for makeup brushes and pencils, lip glosses, cotton pads, q-tips etc.
  • Tealight holder – use your empty candle container as a decorative item in the home. Pop a tealight into the empty container to create a cozy ambience

 

The importance of trimming your wick

Should you trim your candle wick?   You may not know it, but if you have been lighting and blowing out your Luci di Lucca candles without doing any kind of maintenance,  you could be doing your candle a disservice.  A few small steps – such as trimming the wick regularly and protecting the candle with a dust cover – will help prolong the life of your candle and keep it looking beautiful.

Trimming your candle wick before each burn will help reduce the amount of residue and soot that the candle produces while burning.  A trimmed wick also helps your candle burn more evenly and last longer as well.  Longer wicks tend to burn at a faster rate, which means your candle will be used up more quickly.

Keeping your dust cover on the candle when not in use also helps protect you candle from dust and damage.

How to Trim Candle Wicks

In general, you should trim candle wicks to about  5mm (1/4 inch) before lighting them.

To trim candle wicks, carefully cut each wick with a pair of small scissors or a wick trimmer. For best results and for safety purposes, trim wicks when they’re at room temperature. If you forgot to trim the wick before burning your candle, let it cool down before cutting the wick.

In addition to trimming wicks, you should also remove any debris that’s on the wax before lighting your candles.