Been There, Smelled That explores the aromas of places around the world. Travel writer Maggie Downs investigates some of the world’s most potent smells, looks at how odor cultivates a connection to place, and presents how humans engage with smells, from scents that have endured generations to the latest innovations in aroma-making.
- - -
It was possible I’d never had pizza before. Not really. Certainly nothing that smelled or tasted like the dish that sizzled on the table before me.
It was a November night in Rome. The weather was mild but chilly enough that it felt good to duck inside a restaurant, trading the gasoline fumes of the clogged street for the aromas of a wood-fired oven. The scent of rising dough was warm and comfortable, like leaning into the neck of a lover.