Grasse, just 9kms from our gites www.locations-06.fr, is home to a number of fine private and public museums.
Here are just a few examples:
The Musée Jean-Honoré Fragonard, ranked number 1 on Tripadvisor, the Musée d’Art et d’histoire de Provence with its fine antique furniture and Provencal tableware, the Musée du bijou et du costume provençal where you can dream away in front of the ladies’ finery
But the most interesting is certainly the M.I.P., meaning the Musée International de la Parfumerie.
It’s a highly instructive visit, which naturally takes its place in Grasse, the “Perfume Capital of the World”.
First we learn about plants and their cultivation, fields and extraction methods, then the perfume industry and its talents, then the impact of marketing, and finally the use of perfume and its evolution and transformation throughout history and around the world. It’s just fascinating.
I’ll admit I’m not much of a museum person, but I spent nearly 3 hours wandering through the many rooms and floors of this enormous building, half ancient building, half top-modern building.
In fact, the Musée International de la Parfumerie is the first public institution dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the world’s heritage of scents, aromas and perfumes.
It’s been around since 1989, but it was in the late 80s that it underwent a breathtaking complete renovation.
Fragrance is also expressed through fabulous objects from all five continents, including works of art, textiles and archaeological findings.
The Musée International de la Parfumerie is also a bold architectural project by Frédéric Jung, built around a 14th-century rampart.ème century and the Pontevès mansion, 3,500 m² with gardens and terraces in an exceptional landscaped setting, is a visit not to be missed and very close to our gites. www.locations-06.fr.
So enjoy your fragrant visit!
