Antelao: Acqua di Parma trades tinsel for altitude

If you’re tired of sugar-cookie holiday fluff, same. Which is why Acqua di Parma calling its seasonal campaign Antelao has my attention. Antelao is a Dolomite peak, all stone and sky, and that single word already cuts through the usual festive clatter. No peppermint marshmallow here, I hope. More frost on leather gloves, more resin under boot treads, more bell tone air.

The move feels surprisingly sharp for Acqua di Parma, a house that lives in sunlight, lacquered yellow, and easy elegance. As a reporter who has clocked too many “holiday sparkle” briefs to count, I’m relieved by the austerity of this choice. It suggests elevation rather than excess, clarity instead of confetti. And yes, I’m projecting, because all we truly have right now is a name. But names matter. They steer the room.

Maybe I’m biased. I grew up catching the first lift in the Italian Alps, and the word Antelao flicks on a sensory slideshow. The alpine snap of silver fir. Dry larch needles. Breath that tastes like stone. If Acqua di Parma leans into that register, with an icy citrus spine and a resinous, mineral undertow, the brand’s holiday could read like winter sun on limestone. Not a gourmand hug, more a bracing kiss that wakes you up.

Do we need another red bow and a louder jingle. No. We need texture, proportion, a reminder that luxury can be quiet and precise. Antelao could be exactly that. It could also end up as nothing more than a pretty backdrop for the classics. I’m hoping for a clearer statement, even if it’s just in the visual language or a limited wrap that nods to mountain cartography instead of glitter.

What I want from Acqua di Parma here is simple. Keep the brand’s crystalline brightness, then chill it. Add lift, not weight. Let Antelao stand for altitude and restraint, an Italian winter distilled, rather than a tinsel blizzard. If the campaign makes me feel cold on the skin and warm in the spine, I’ll be first in line. If it’s ribbon deep, I’ll pass. Either way, the name has thrown down a gauntlet. Your move, Acqua di Parma.