Manna di Sicilia

A 2022 run through the brand's full sample set produced this soap's strongest endorsement and its bluntest rejection in the same entry. On performance the reviewer handed it his "softest post-shave feel" award across everything he tested, writing simply that his skin was so soft, more so than usual, and noting that although the lather took a little work it turned out the slickest he had produced up to that point. On scent he was equally direct: he reads a dominant tobacco note, dislikes tobacco scents as a lifelong non-smoker, and filed the soap under "would not buy" on that basis alone — performance is great, he wrote, but he does not like the scent.

The same forum's 2020 scored comparison of eleven Varesino soaps places Manna di Sicilia near the bottom on 45 out of 55, and the breakdown points at the same culprit: it held full marks for lather stability, cushion, post-shave nourishment and skin sensitivity, but took only a 3 for the initial appeal and strength of its fragrance — the second-lowest fragrance mark in the whole chart — with a further point lost on plainer packaging. On the face it scores like the rest of the range; it is the nose that pulls the total down.

A 2017 blog review is unreserved in the other direction, calling the scent heavenly and the lather nothing short of spectacular — quick to load, thick, rich and creamy with excellent slickness and glide — and promising that the post-shave feel will be among the best the reader has had. The writer ranks it among his top shaving soaps outright, and the piece closes with a personal note about a friend who tried this particular soap and was converted to traditional shaving by it.

Verified buyers (5/5 across 4 reviews) praise a compact, long-lasting lather that needs only a light load, paired with a scent reviewers call balanced and pleasant without being overpowering; one buyer who initially thought the price was too high says it lasted roughly twice as long as expected, making it one of their favorite soaps.

One reviewer, trying the soap for the first time, calls it "one of the best soaps I have used" and "a winner," describing a lather that turns rich, dense and creamy within seconds of loading and keeps "blossoming" with scent as you shave, with excellent cushion, glide and a smooth, comfortable finish across three passes and a touch-up.

Another reviewer calls it "an outstanding soap from this excellent brand," praising a lather so generous it's "truly luxurious" and good for two passes plus touch-ups even with a mild razor — though they admit the scent isn't this line's strongest suit, saying they'd take the lather over the fragrance any day.

A long-form review calls performance a genuine highlight — a dense, insulating lather with impressive slickness (bar some minor drying near the jawline) and what the reviewer calls "probably the best post-shave" they can remember — but the scent is the sticking point: a sharp, almost bitter citrus opening settles into a pleasant floral heart, yet it just didn't land for this particular nose. Between that and the steep import price, they say they'd buy it again, but only just.

One verified 5-star reviewer, on their third Varesino fragrance, sums it up simply as "sublime in all ways imaginable," adding that it and the brand overall have become their favorite.

In a thread comparing favorites across the brand's catalog, one commenter lists Manna di Sicilia alongside Tundra Artica as one of their favorite Varesino scents, part of a broader note that the brand's soaps have never caused irritation despite sensitive skin, with a lather they call unmatched for creaminess.

Opinion in the thread devoted to the brand's aftershaves runs both ways. One owner who keeps the Manna alongside the 70th Anniversary, Felce Aromatica and Dolomiti lotions says he loves them all, describing them as slightly more viscous than a standard alcohol-based aftershave without being heavy or greasy. Another bought the Manna and parted with it: he liked the scent well enough but found it generic, indistinguishable from any perfume-counter fragrance, and found the lotion drying on his skin, giving it away after a handful of uses.

The reviewer who rejected the soap over its tobacco note found the aftershave the more interesting of the pair, describing it as lighter and more complex: it opens on citrus, moves through the same tobacco middle he dislikes, and finishes on a base he calls very pleasant. Useful for anyone weighing the two, since the lotion evidently does not simply repeat the soap.