I first visited the provençal town of Grasse with a friend who needed to renew his passport in a hurry, in time for an urgent business trip. Those of you who have come across french bureaucracy will be well aware that this left me with plenty of time for some sightseeing.
The first thing I noticed about Grasse was the freshness of the air, whether this was the change from the traffic fumes of Nice or the scent of flowers or just that it was a shade cooler here at over 300m compared to the coast I am not sure. Probably it was a combination of the three.
Grasse is only a half hours drive west of Nice and is about nine miles south of Cannes. You may hear that Grasse is on the Route Napoléon do not spend your time searching for a motorway , this is a reference to the route taken by Napoléon after his escape from Elba and landing at the Golfe Juan close to Antibes. Napoléon reached Grasse on the 2nd. March 1815 three months later (June 18th ) his army shattered, he was defeated at Waterloo.
Napoléon was far from the only famous visitor to Grasse. His younger sister spent the winter of 1807/8 here whilst separated from her husband Prince Borghese. Pauline notorious for her lack of morals but by far the most attractive of the Bonaparte family in looks and character scandalized the region with her amours.
Queen Victoria was in the habit of wintering here and stayed at the Grand Hotel or as a guest of the Rothschild's.
One assumes rather less scandal was generated than by the delicious Pauline.
The history of Grasse stretches back to ancient times and is reputed to have been founded by Crassus ( 115bc-53bc), the only "evidence" for this seems to be anecdotal and etymological.Marcus Licinius Crassus did of course spend time in this region but I can find no direct link.
Among the famous sons of the town are Jean Honoré Fragonard and Admiral François Joseph de Grasse.
You will find a number of tributes to the Admiral around the place. Admiral de Grasse's claim to fame is that he was probably responsible for the defeat of the Loyalist Forces during the American Revolution, when he defeated the British Fleet under Admiral Thomas Graves at the Battle of Chesapeake Bay in September 1781. In so doing he cut off Cornwallis from his line of supply and his line of retreat. You will not find any mention of his defeat and capture ( for the second time ) at the battle of The Saints (1781) this the greatest naval battle of the century saw the British Fleet under Rodney totally victorious and set the scene for british naval dominance for the next two centuries. De Grasse returned to France at the signing of the peace treaty after two years as a prisoner in England. Having published a book in which he blamed his defeat on his subordinates an enquiry failed to support him and he died in disgrace in 1788.
Jean Honoré Fragonard was born at Grasse 1732 and died at Paris 1806 he was an apprentice glove maker who showed great artistic talent he is much honored in Grasse for his rocco style paintings but is remembered in the rest of the world much more for his delightful erotic works. Many of his family also showed considerable talent including his sister in law who is widely assumed to have been his mistress, an acusation vehemently denied in Grasse. There is a museum featuring his and his families works which to my shame I have not yet visited. One hopes some of his more "intimate" works are displayed.
The History of Grasse is very much the history of this region of France. In the 9th century the town suffered repeated raids by saracens before becoming an Independent Republic during the 12th. century. In 1227 Raymond Bérenger Count of Provence seized the town and added it to his domains.1556 saw the town sacked by the forces of Charles Quint the Holy Roman Emperor. In 1589 the Ligueurs the Catholic Forces of Henri Guise laid siege to the town during the Wars of Religion that most shameful period of french history. After Nice joined with France in 1860 the importance of Grasse declined.
The Old Town of Grasse is extensive and rewarding to the visitor but the less fit may curse the many flights of stone steps. The buildings mostly date to the 17th. and 18th. centuries and there are many tunnel like passages and quaint squares. The main square the Place Aux Aires hosts a daily flower and produce market and the fountain is often decked out in flowers.
At the Place Godeau stands the 17th. century cathedral of Notre Dame du Puy it contains three paintings by Rubens painted in 1601 and originally from the Santa Croce di Gerusalemme in Rome given to Grasse in the 19th. century we can only speculate as to how they came to leave Rome but the French Army did lay siege to Rome in 1849 and the earlier armies of Napoléon were notorious for their looting..There is also a rather good Fragonard of Christ washing the feet of the Apostles dating from 1754.
Grasse has been the centre of the French perfume industry since the 16th. century previously famous as a glove making town the perfume industry became strangely allied to glove making by a process I have never quite fathomed. A fashion developed for perfumed gloves during the late 16th. century and into the 17th. whether this was the result of perfumers scenting gloves or glove makers perfuming their product I am just not sure. Grasse was famous for its gloves from the 13th.century onwards so it is possible that they just perfumed them to disguise the smell of the tanning and it caught on, if anyone knows please let me know.By the 17th. century "glove maker" was synonymous with perfumer and the fashion was hardly dented by the suspicion that Catherine Medici was in the habit of using poisoned gloves to dispose of her enemies.
The Perfume Industry ( without gloves) today dominates the local economy and the Houses of Fragonard, Galimard and Molinard dominate the industry. Not only do these companies produce their own brands but produce much of what is sold under other well known names. They also produce much of the essence used by other manufacturers although cheaper producers around the world have dented this trade in recent years. All three have their own museums where you will be able to see the whole manufacturing process and have the chance to purchase the end result. There are also several places that offer to create your own personal fragrance, I am sceptical as to how unique this would prove to be but it makes for a nice story.
The International Perfume Museum which opened in 1989 is separate from the individual perfume houses and shows much the same thing, in addition there is a greenhouse where you can see many of the plants used by the perfumers. There is also an exhibit of glass making and the prize possession of the museum Marie Antoinette's toilette case.
The Museum of Provençal Art and History has an eclectic collection of religious artifacts, glass, furniture, clothing, ceramics as well as a interesting collection of paintings by lesser known artists. This is housed in an Italianate Villa built for Jean-Paul Clapier Marquis de Cabris who married Louise de Riqueti daughter of the Marquis de Mirabeau. Jean-Paul soon fell out with his mother in law once he was required to live with the Dowager Marquisese so he had his own house built so as to block her view. If you visit note the Gorgons Head depicted vomiting vipers placed above the front door it is said this was placed so as to be directly in the line of sight of the old lady.
There are a number of events held in Grasse each year the most well known being the Fete du Jasmin during August and in May the Fete International Rosé I have never been to either so can not tell you if they are any good. When I asked my french friends the women over thirty five were enthusiastic everyone else just shrugged.
There is plenty in Grasse to keep you interested for a full day or more and it makes a very pleasant change from the coast in summer.
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Grasse is an amazing place to visit - I've been going to Provence every year for about 10 years now, and loved Grasse. The museums of the Galimard and Fragonard "parfumeries" are definitely worth taking a look if you're there. Great op. Em x
miniloopie 03.10.2002 13:54
ooh, went here recently... fantastic place to visit.. perfume stuff well recommended... mini
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