Aroma Nafplion

Tucked away in a picturesque alleyway a stone's throw from Syntagma Square, Aroma Nafplion is a fairytale perfume shop that will transport you to the banks of the Seine and the suburbs of the Champs Elysees.
Since June 2015, when he opened his popular perfume shop at 14 Kokkinou Street, pharmacist Leonidas Giannouzakos has managed to create a little Paris in the heart of Nafplio's old town. You've surely noticed the window at the corner of Aroma Nafplion, which resembles a miniature theatre set, with its pale yellow curtain that is always open. A retro lamp illuminates an elaborate display of boats, angels, vintage decorations and dozens of bottles. The romantic atmosphere of the setting is mysteriously enchanting, and the sight of people streaming in at all hours of the day invites you to pass through the plum-coloured door that reads "Perfumes of France".
With stone, wooden beams, mirrors and vintage details at its core, an air of elegance and attention to detail pervades the fairytale décor of the small but warm interior, personally curated by Leonidas' mother. In the background, countless bottles of priceless olfactory treasures line the shelves, while a few bottles of authentic perfume stand prominently high above the counter. But as stylish as the place is, nothing would be the same without the friendly, knowledgeable and passionate perfumer, Leonidas Giannouzakos.

Essence of courtesy and knowledge
For Leonidas, the perfume shop is not - as for any other owner - his shop, but his own home, as he says. A man of elegant manners, courtesy, sociability, generosity and honesty, he could not be more successful in anything else than the world of perfume.
He may have studied pharmacy, following in his father's footsteps, but the memory of his parents always wearing perfume seems to have determined the later course of Leonidas, who grew up in Thessaloniki and always wore perfume even as a teenager. When, during his student years in Patras, he heard about a perfume shop in Frangon str., in the second capital (Thessaloniki), he became interested. He went to visit it, at first with a prejudice against perfume clones, and eventually... he shopped. The beginning had been made, even if he didn't know it at the time.

No "discount" on perfumes
When his family decided to leave Thessaloniki to move to Nafplio, from the first of May 2015, when they found themselves in their new place, he had the decision to open his own perfume shop. And of course, he did it on his own terms: French perfumes, made from expensive raw materials, "without any discount" in terms of quality, durability and safety, a word that directly concerns him as a pharmacist. His obsession with quality and his expertise in perfume, together with his noble presence, have helped to make Aroma Nafplion a favorite of people visiting Nafplion from all over the world.

Recitation of poems    
I ask him for two perfumes, my favorite and my daughter's, and as he carefully transfers them from the large bottles to the bottles I have chosen, I find an opportunity to answer all my questions about the world of perfumery. We talk about the raw materials of perfumery and their quality in packaged fragrances, how they lose their potential and their durability, how a good perfume clone can be, if not better, at least as good and last longer than an authentic perfume you've bought at great expense.
While I'm really enjoying my conversation with Leonidas and learning so much I didn't know about perfumes, a customer arrives, with whom it seems from the first minute that they share the same passion. Soon the dilemma of "Should you wear one signature scent or 2-3 different ones depending on the occasion?" hits the table. I am impressed to learn that Leonidas, the man who lives and breathes among hundreds of fragrances, stays loyal to just one. The conversation that opens up around the dilemma unravels personal memories, associations of people, moments and expectations with a particular scent. Is there a better way to travel back in time, revisit a love story, evoke memories or create new ones, than a fragrance?   
The time has passed, the perfume shop fills up, I bid Leonidas a happy farewell for our acquaintance and walk out into the old town with a thought in mind: if "perfume is a poetic creation", as the French master perfumer Edmond Roudnitska has said, then Leonidas Giannouzakos knows how to recite uniquely!

Did you know that?
At Aroma Nafplion, you can choose the size of your perfume bottle and the design, from the simplest and most elegant glass bottle to the handmade one, painted in a romantic mood by the hands of Leonidas' mother.
Don't believe in superstition or prejudice! A perfume is always the best gift and at Aroma Nafplion you will find a huge variety.
Ask Leonidas for your favourite perfume that is no longer on the market and... you will find it in its clone!
Aroma Nafplion will soon offer rare, hard to find perfumes, the so called niche perfumes.
The prices are more than affordable and the product you buy is a confirmed value for money.

Tips
Top quality comparable to original perfumes, in expensive and luxurious brands such as Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Tom Ford, Byredo, Parfums de Marly etc.
Ask Leonidas for a body lotion, after-shave cream and bubble bath to go with each perfume, all tested by the National Medicines Organization!


Operating Period
All year round

Opening Hours
Winter season (precisely): Monday and Wednesday 10:30 - 18:30
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10:30 -20:00
Saturday 10:30 -20:30
Sunday 10:30 -14:00 & 16:00 -20:30