Grasse: 3 Good Reasons To Visit The City Of Perfumes
The city of Grasse, in the Alpes-Maritimes, has many attractions. This destination, known as the world's perfume capital, is also the capital of eastern Provence. It has been awarded two flowers in the Concours des villes et villages fleuris and has been promoted as a City of Art and History. Here are 3 good reasons to visit this must-see city on the French Riviera.
1- For its millennial history
Grasse is a town in the middle of the Azurean region rich in several centuries of history. The first traces of human occupation in the Grasse area date back to the Neolithic era, and remnants such as dolmens, tombs, tumuli, and "bories" have been found there. In antiquity, the Ligurians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and especially the Romans settled there.
As you stroll through the narrow, shaded streets of the city center, you will notice that the old houses from the 17th and 18th centuries coexist with villas and mansions from the 19th century.
This Azurean town, highly appreciated for its quality of life, landscapes, and climate since the 19th century, attracted wealthy foreigners who built magnificent villas there. Princess Pauline stayed there in 1811 and gave her name to a garden.
2- For its perfume industry
In the Middle Ages, Grasse specialized in leather tanning and had gained a reputation for high quality in this field. It was Molinard, a tanner from the town, who had the idea of creating scented leather gloves to remove the unpleasant smell of the material.
The perfumer Molinard offered a pair to Catherine de Medici, and this product was a great success at the Court and throughout high society, ensuring the worldwide fame of the town.
Due to taxes on leather and competition from Nice, the leather industry declined and was replaced by the perfume industry, exploiting the region's rare scents. Even today, myrtle, jasmine, rose, wild orange blossom, mimosa, and lavender are at the heart of Grasse's perfumery.
It was during the 19th century that the town of Grasse experienced a true era of prosperity and confirmed its title as the world's perfume capital. While the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, large factories were built, and tourism began to develop. The town then maintained its tourist reputation in the 20th century, while the perfume industry transformed and modernized.
Nowadays, the perfume industry is the number one tourist attraction in the town, and Grasse perfumeries like Fragonard, Galimard, and Molinard offer free guided tours. You can discover the processes of perfume making before leaving with a few bottles and scented soaps...
3- For its architectural heritage
Even though these places are very popular with visitors from around the world, the perfumeries and museums dedicated to perfume are not the only tourist sites in the city.
The city of Grasse is also worth a visit for its heritage and monuments such as:
- The Romanesque cathedral, an old church transformed into a cathedral in 1244, when the bishopric was transferred from Antibes to Grasse. This church dedicated to Honorat of Arles (Saint Honorat) houses a 13th-century nave and displays numerous paintings, including three magnificent Rubens, a Fragonard, a Charles Nègre, a Gaillard, and a Sébastien Bourdon, as well as four statues by Baillet.
- The Town Hall is housed in the former episcopal palace. You can see the former private chapel of the bishops of Grasse there. This 12th-century chapel has been transformed into a wedding hall.
- The Fragonard Museum is another must-see. Its collections include thirteen paintings by the artist. You can also admire replicas of four paintings that Fragonard painted for the Countess du Barry.
- In a different vein, the Museum of Art and History of Provence traces the history of the city and its region and reminds us that the Grasse region is an integral part of Provence.
