| Some of the best stuff on the planet originates in | | | | manufacturers of personal care products, bath |
| Italy, and that includes everything from great art, | | | | and body, fragrances, and shaving products.I |
| design, and architecture to food and of course, | | | | know, this may not sound all that exciting. Quite |
| the people themselves. Some of the obvious all | | | | frankly, I never imagined I would care much |
| time greats on my list are the Mona Lisa, Pizza, | | | | about personal care products before a couple of |
| the Leaning Tower of Pizza, Sophia Loren, Al | | | | years ago. And don't get me wrong; I've always |
| Pacino, Chloe, Armani, and Vespa scooters. Then | | | | liked putting on the latest trendy cologne, or using |
| there's the great cultural traditions like taking a 2 | | | | something besides a 99-cent can of Barbasol to |
| hour nap in the middle of the workday, and having | | | | shave with. After all, I may be a guy, but I do |
| a couple of drinks with every meal. You've gotta | | | | have some taste (and sensitive skin.)Anyway, one |
| love it.But you also have the little gems that are | | | | fateful day a couple of years ago, my wife and I |
| not so well known in mainstream pop culture, but | | | | were spending a weekend in Las Vegas, at the |
| that are no less exceptional, like the architect | | | | Venetian. We went on a shopping excursion under |
| Mario Botta. Not exactly an icon, but very | | | | the faux Venetian sky in the hotel's retail mall, and |
| talented. If you've been to Italy, and you like | | | | happened to stroll into the Acca Kappa boutique. |
| handsome men, you may be hip to the | | | | (From that point forward, everything changed. But |
| phenomenon of the Italian police force. Female | | | | I will get to that part later.)This small boutique had |
| friends who have seen it first hand tell me that | | | | a stylish "ambience" about it, and there was |
| one of the prerequisites for the job is being | | | | another quality that you couldn't help notice - the |
| genetically superior to the rest of the human | | | | place smelled great. We found vegetable based |
| race.And somewhere in the mix, you find Acca | | | | soaps made from things like avocado, pear, a |
| Kappa. That translates to "H. K." in English. In | | | | mysterious plant called white moss, another one |
| Italian, that stands for "H. Krull and Company." So | | | | called calycanthus, and of course - olive (we are |
| who is this H. Krull and why do I care? Good | | | | talking about Italy here right?)There were |
| question.Arthur H. Krull started the company | | | | perfumes and colognes, bath and shower gels, |
| known as Acca Kappa, a manufacturer of | | | | candles, and brushes. One of the most significant |
| personal care items like soaps, perfumes, | | | | aspects of this line, we later found out, is the fact |
| colognes, and shaving accessories. When it first | | | | that the products are made from all natural |
| started back in 1869, it's only product was that of | | | | ingredients, with an ecologically conscious approach |
| hair brushes. That was back when just about all | | | | to manufacturing (i.e. this stuff is good for you, |
| brushes on the market were made from | | | | your skin, and the environment.) But there was |
| hardwoods and boar's hair or natural bristle. Acca | | | | yet another obvious quality: how cool everything |
| Kappa still makes them that way, over a hundred | | | | looked and felt.The packaging was great, and |
| years later. Anyway, since then, they have | | | | when you picked up a product, you could "feel" |
| become one of Italy's most well known | | | | the craftsmanship in your hand. |