Last night I was looking at some amazing little scented papers I bought in New York. Apparently they are made by the Santa Maria Novella Convent in Firenze (no wonder they cost so much) by a group of Dominican Friars. They are made to some age old - like 11th century - recipe and were used to ward off germs and sweeten the air. The papers are imbued with a special resin and floral oils and on burning them you notice any unwanted odours disappear. Thought I would give them a go today when I was trapped indoors with the dogs waiting for the oven repair man. Well, what do you know, they're wonderful and smell suspiciously like what was burning on a fire in a hotel I was in a couple of weeks ago. You only burn a little and then put the paper out. They aren't too cloying and floral - just a note. My son says he loves them but they make the house smell like a church. Maybe more like a cross between a church and a day spa. I think they are divine. Check them out online. Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.
Oh, and the site tells you that the monks also developed a rose scented disinfectant that they used in trying to ward off the plague. I think they failed in the plague department but as far as I'm concerned these little papers are a winner.
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