Hedonistic, the Côte d'Azur? Yes, but not only! Just a stone's throw from the beaches, in the shadow of their workshops, craftsmen are at work, perpetuating ancient gestures inherited from a know-how of excellence. Intoxicating perfumes and soaps as soft as a summer's day in the Grasse region, bubble glass prized by the most chic tables near Antibes, epicurean pipes and star sandals in Saint-Tropez: we take you on a journey to discover the Côte d'Azur's living heritage!
Learning the music of perfume in Grasse
Do you know why the semi-circular shelf where perfumers used to draw their essences to create their fragrances is called an "organ"? Go to Grasse, the world capital of perfumery, and to Eze, behind the scenes of the great houses such as Fragonard, Molinard or Galimard, which perpetuate a know-how inherited from the 18th century! You will learn that a perfume is composed like music, from chords made up of several notes and many other secrets! Distillation rooms with copper stills, maceration vats, collections of antique bottles signed by René Lalique or Egyptian blush spoons and the perfumer's laboratory where delicate scents are created with the utmost discretion... Enough to penetrate the mysteries of a history that goes back more than 3000 years!
Parfumerie Fragonard Parfumerie Molinard Parfumerie Galimard
Designing a pipe in Cogolin
This is not a pipe, one could say, paraphrasing Magritte, but a vocation: at the Courrieu family in Cogolin, in the hinterland of Saint-Tropez, one has been a master pipe maker from father to son since 1802! More than a profession, it is a whole art that can be discovered during a one-hour visit of the family factory where elegant variants of the "bouffarde" of the grandfather are still being made. From the selection of the best briar from the Maures massif, renowned for its resistance to heat, to the marking of the Courrieu house's little silver cock, via turning, polishing and engraving, you will understand why choosing a pipe from among so many models is also an art!
Follow the birth of a glass near Antibes
In Biot, at the gates of Antibes, life is seen as in a comic strip, in bubbles and in colours! It was in this small medieval village that the Provencal glassmaking tradition was revived in 1956 with a major innovation: the creation of a glass that traps bubbles. Since then, the reputation of "bubbled glass" has continued to grow and La Verrerie de Biot® supplies the greatest addresses in the region! In the hall where 15 master glassmakers blow tirelessly, you can follow the journey of the glass, from the incandescent ball plunged into the furnace to the finished product. Watch in hand, it takes a quarter of an hour to see a stemmed glass appear. Magic!
Walking in the footsteps of the stars in Saint-Tropez
What do Picasso, Marion Cotillard and Colette have in common? They all wore the "tropézienne", the sandal from Saint-Tropez! At K. Jacques, there have been countless famous fans of the brand since 1933: the 3rd generation has even made a wall of celebrities out of it! But in the workshop, it is the know-how of the house that is admired. For this sober "Spartan" inspired by Antiquity, you need a supple skin, chosen from 250 materials and colours, a very thick leather sole sewn with linen thread, and above all a lot of skill! In an average of one hour per pair, no less than 46 operations are carried out and 123 elements assembled. And for the elegant women who want a unique model, everything can be customised, from the leather to the sole, including remotely by videoconference! Enough to wait for the resumption of the visits...
Immerse yourself in the sweetness of Provence at the Atelier du savon
Donkey's milk or goat's milk? In the soap workshop of Maître Savonitto in Seillans, softness is the order of the day! While waiting for the resumption of the visits, we follow in video the peregrinations of the raw materials which will compose delicate soaps. Local scents - rose or jasmine from Grasse, rosemary from the maquis or lavender from the fields, noble and essential oils from laboratories on the Valensole plateau or in the Alpilles... In all, there are more than 100 fragrances to make your toilet with an air of Provence! Passionate about her job, Karine, the designer, will also explain how she favours natural materials: recycled cardboard, poplar wood or jute ropes, for a velvety texture made in France!
Learn more These workshops are part of the national association of company visits: - Entreprise et découverte - Preparing your trip to the Côte d'Azur
Also read - In the secrets of perfumery in Grasse and La Manufacture Cogolin or the art of weaving revisited
By Anne-Claire Delorme
Globetrotting journalist anneclairedelorme@yahoo.fr
