Grasse is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera. The town is considered as the world’s capital of perfume. It obtained two flowers in the Concours des villes et villages fleuris contest and was made “Ville d’Art et d’Histoire” (town of art and history).
Grasse is the center of the French perfume industry and is known as the world’s perfume capital (la capitale mondiale des parfums). Many “noses” are trained or have spent time in Grasse to distinguish over 2,000 kinds of scent. It produces over two-thirds of France’s natural aromas (for perfume and for food flavourings). This industry turns over more than 600 million euros a year. Jasmine, a key ingredient of many perfumes, was brought to southern France by the Moors in the 16th century. Twenty-seven tonnes of jasmine are now harvested in Grasse annually. There are numerous old ‘parfumeries’ in Grasse, such as Molinard, Fragonard and Galimard, each with tours and a museum.
There is an annual Fête du Jasmin or La Jasminade, at the beginning of August. The first festival was on the 3 August–4 August 1946. These days, it is a big event; decorated floats drive through the town, with young women in skimpy costumes on board, throwing flowers onto the crowds. This is known as the ‘flower battle’ and everyone gets soaked by the natural perfume of the flowers. There are also fireworks, free parties, folk music groups and street performers. There is also an annual international exhibition of roses (“Expo Rose”).
Grasse’s main attraction is the Cathedral, dedicated to Notre Dame du Puy and founded in the 11th century. In the interior, are three works by Rubens and one by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, a French painter native of the town.
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Menton, nicknamed the Pearl of France, is located on the Mediterranean Sea at the Franco-Italian border, just across from the Liguran town of Ventimiglia. It boasts a warm micro-climate favorable to lemon, tangerine, and orange groves whence one of the town’s symbols, the lemon.
Menton is famous for its gardens, including the Jardin Serre de la Madone, the Jardin botanique exotique de Menton (“Le Val Rahmeh”), the Fontana Rosa, and the Maria Serena garden. Le Val Rahmeh was established in 1905 by Englishman Sir Percy Radcliffe, the first owner of the gardens, and named for his wife. Villa Fontana Rosa was built in 1922 by Blasco Ibáñez, a Spanish novelist, and the gardens of the villa are now open to the public.
Main sights are the baroque basilica of Saint-Michel-Archange, the Musée Jean Cocteau is located in the Bastion of the port of Menton and the wedding room at the Mairie (town hall) was painted in the 1950s by Jean Cocteau, transforming it into a giant work of art. Menton is home to at least half a dozen beaches.
The Lemon Festival takes place every February. The festival follows a given theme each year; past themes include Viva España, Disney, Neverland, and India. The festival lasts a few days, with different bands passing through Menton’s streets on foot or on truck trailers. The Casino Gardens in the centre of town are decorated in the theme of the festival, using lemons to cover the exhibits, and huge temporary statues are built and covered with citrus fruit. The Casino Gardens are also the location for Menton’s Christmas Festival. The Menton Classical Musical Festival is also held every year in the centre of the old town.
[caption id="attachment_169010" align="aligncenter" width="586"] Martin Luther (1529) by Lucas Cranach the Elder[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546), O.S.A., was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the Catholic view on indulgences as he understood it to be, that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purc...
