Ortigia is an Italian company that make toiletries, candles and fragrances inspired by the natural essences of the island of Sicily. According to their website…

The company Ortigia features a range of toiletries inspired by this cultural wealth and natural beauty – all of the colours, scents and aesthetics are Sicilian, and all of the plants used to create our range are indigenous to Sicily. All of our products are made from natural and traditional ingredients, such as olive oil, palm oil, almond oil, lanolin, naturally distilled lavender and vegetable dyes. Traditional products with a modern ethic.

Their products are sold by upmarket designer-goods companies, but they have one brick 'n mortar store, in Sloane Square, Chelsea.

The shop is a bijou wedge-shaped space. As well as bathtime goodies, soap, candles, room sprays and fragrances, they also sell biscuits, marmalades, olive oil and bottled fruit, towels and small items of tableware, and ornamental corals which are breathtakingly expensive (don’t let your two-year-old pick them up!). The presentation of all the goods is exquisite.

Fragrances include Ambra Nera, Sandolo, Neroli Honey, Coral Shell, Fico d’India, Orange Blossom, Sicilian Lime, Lavender, Pomegranate, Almond and Bergamotto.

Getting there: 55 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AX. Tel +44 (0) 207 730 2826; website.

Ortigia is just round the corner from Sloane Street tube station. Come out of the station (only one exit), turn right and walk past the Royal Court theatre, turn right at the next corner, and it’s about 20 yards down on the right hand side.

Nearby: Peter Jones department store is on the other side of Sloane Square, and beyond that is the Kings Road, the great ‘trendy’ shopping zone.

— image & report filed by Nina.

See also: Perfume Shopping in London