The city of Grasse
A town on the French Riviera
Grasse is one of the sub-prefectures from the Alpes Maritimes in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Its inhabitants are called the Grassois.
In addition to his historical Center it is made up of 10 districts and hamlets, each with their own city hall, school and character. This municipality covers 45 km2 with steep drops.
You can observe in the roman cathedral of Grasse a lot of painting, some done by Rubens . The city is made of narrow streets with some pretty hidden gardens. It is commonly called the balcony on the Mediterranean sea thanks to its breathtaking views. Many events , exhibitions on art, and the history of perfumery are organized during the year.
It is labeled city of art and history but also city of flowers. In 2014, the savoir-faire specific to this city and for which it became known, the perfume, were added to the intangible heritage of France.
And finally after years of procedures and meetings, in 2018 this knowledge was included in the Cultural and Intangible Heritage of Humanity .
Grasse and its perfumeries
The town of Grasse is known for its perfumeries and its perfume factories in the heart of the city, such as the most famous, the perfumery Fragonard or Molinard that you can visit.
There is also the nose training center and museums which allow you to understand everything about this exceptional savoir-faire and manufacturing secrets . Even the greatest perfumers get their supplies in Grasse.
Great perfume such as Dior or Chanel were created here. The beginnings of perfume in the city of Grasse go back to the Middle Ages. At that time the city was specialized in leather tanning , which spread a very strong smell . One day, the tanner Galimard, created scented leather gloves, to cover that smell. This pair of gloves was offered to Catherine de Medici! This fashion gained momentum at the Royal Court and in all high society.
The tanners began to produce scented gloves which then gave way to the perfume alone.
Ensued the production of several types of flower, to have a quality raw material, such as lavender, orange blossom, mimosa, rose and jasmine (the city’s emblematic flower).
Chanel has its own plantation of roses and jasmine in the countryside of Grasse to be able to manufacture their essences .
Its twinnings
To develop international exchanges , it organizes international fairs, presentations of knowledge, develops cultural and sporting meetings . Already internationally oriented thanks to perfumery, it has relationships with several twin cities and friends such as Carrara in Italy. Or, Ingolstadt in Germany, Murcia in Spain, Marblehead in the USA, Opole in Poland, Villa real in Portugal…
With its twin cities, it participates in a humanitarian project in Burkina Faso, in the town of Legmoin to supply the town with water.
Take advantage of being not far from the Verdon to try out one of our activities!
At HPO, we offer several activities to discover the Verdon region. You will find there in particular rafting , Jumps Paddle , aqua hiking or Trott’Elec !