Patrizia Scaglioni, owner of an all-natural herbal store in Cagli, repeats this local saying softly, "In Cagli there is never any peace. There is always rain, wind, or death."

Although many Cagliese agree that they have never heard this old adage, Patrizia insists that it thoroughly defines this tiny Italian town.

She is a strikingly beautiful woman with shoulder-length wavy brown hair that, when the sunlight hits it right, reveals red highlights. Patrizia's white linen shirt and pants fit perfectly on her petite frame as she steps from behind the register to offer advice to customers.

The store, La Bottega delle Erbe, is an outlet for Patrizia to express her natural lifestyle.

Tucked inside a flowery courtyard on Via G. Leopardi, the little erboristeria--Italian for herbal store--displays natural products, from food and soap to jewelry and make-up, on wooden shelves painted pale yellow. A woman in her twenties with long brown hair and a short blue floral sun-dress examines the pink stones of a 'minerale cristallino' necklace while a woman at least twenty years older, with hair even shorter and a dress much longer, breathes in the subtle fragrance of Muguet's Pur Vegetal Sans Colorant bar of soap. According to Patrizia, both of these products, as well as all the others in the erboristeria, are "100% natural and not tested on animals."

Patrizia's passion for these kinds of products began almost twenty years ago and has only grown since then. Like any person trying something new, Patrizia was initially skeptical of the new wave of home remedies. To help with an ailment troubling Patrizia, a good friend suggested she try iridology, a branch of natural medicine based on the belief that the iris of one's eye reveals everything about his/her body. Imaginary lines radiating from the pupil like spokes on a bicycle wheel correspond to designated parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, and kidneys, about which each spoke reveals something. An iridologist will look inside an eye at a particular spoke to determine what is ailing the patient. From this evidence, the patient will seek herbal remedies that coincide with the diagnosis in order to bring his/her body back to health.

After her successful treatment with iridology, Patrizia gained a fresh outlook on herbal remedies.

Patrizia continued to explore the advantages of natural medicine. Walking in Birkenstock-style sandals across the light hardwood floor that stretches across La Bottega delle Erbe, Patrizia explains that this type of medicine takes a different approach with the client in that it provides a more personal and helpful relationship than a pharmacy normally would. Patrizia's warm brown eyes immediately set at ease any apprehensive customers who enter the erboristeria in search of a remedy that will help with their needs.

Amid the fresh scents of La Bottega delle Erbe, it is easy to see that Patrizia is not only interested in medicines but in beautiful aromas as well. Her fondness for fragrances prompted Patrizia to create her own rendition of Cagli--in bottle form. She wanted to develop a product for her erboristeria that would capture the essence of Cagli. Her creative mind found typical ideas like food or drink too run-of-the-mill. Patrizia thought about this project for three years with friends who shared similar interests and eventually realized that Cagli has a scent of its own, created naturally.

Every May, the light yellow five-petaled flowers called Narcissus bloom on Mount Petrano, which surrounds Cagli. The wind sweeps the flowers' fresh floral aroma into the town. Patrizia bottled this delicate scent, called Vento di Cagli on her store shelves, and believes that it successfully embodies this small town she calls home.

Patrizia, like most locals, has known rain, wind, and death. But those few who agree with her that there is "no peace in Cagli" are not entirely correct. La Bottega delle Erbe is a place where healthy foods, refreshing soaps, soothing lotions, and calming scents allow a unique woman to help her customers revitalize body and soul.

web design: nick hodge

photography: katie foster

video: scott davie