Grasse (; Provençal oc, Grassa _{in classical norm} or _{in Mistralian norm} ; traditional it, Grassa) is the only subprefecture of the

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, ...

department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

on the

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from ...

. In 2017, the commune had a population of 50,396. Considered the world's capital of

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent ...

, Grasse obtained two flowers in the '' Concours des villes et villages fleuris'' and was made ''Ville d'Art et d'Histoire'' (City of Art and History).

Festivals

There is an annual ''Fête du Jasmin'' or ''La Jasminade'', at the beginning of August. The first festival was on August 3–4, 1946. Decorated floats drive through the town, with young women in skimpy costumes on board, throwing flowers into the crowd. Garlands of jasmine decorate the town center, and the fire department fills a fire truck with jasmine-infused water to spray on the crowds. There are also fireworks, free parties,

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

groups and street performers. There is also an annual international exhibition of roses ("Expo Rose") held in May each year.

Transport

The Gare de Grasse railway station offers connections with

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

and

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; lij, label= Intemelio, Ventemiglia , lij, label= Genoese, Vintimiggia; french: Vintimille ; oc, label= Provençal, Ventemilha ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located southwest of ...

Perfume

Grasse has had a prospering

industry since the end of the 18th century. Grasse is the centre of the French

industry and is known as the world's perfume capital (''la capitale mondiale des parfums''). Many "noses" (or, in French, "Les nez" (plural)/"Le nez" (singular)) are trained or have spent time in Grasse to distinguish over 2,000 kinds of scent. Grasse produces over two-thirds of France's natural aromas (for perfume and for food flavourings). This industry turns over more than 600 million

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

s a year. Grasse's particular

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

encouraged the flower farming industry. It is warm and sufficiently inland to be sheltered from the sea air. There is an abundance of water, thanks to its location in the hills and the 1860 construction of the Siagne canal for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

purposes. The town is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

and from the coast (

Côte d'Azur The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation "Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...

Jasmine Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely culti ...

, a key ingredient of many perfumes, was brought to southern France by the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...

in the 16th century. Twenty-seven tonnes of jasmine are now harvested in Grasse annually. There are numerous old 'parfumeries' in Grasse, such as Galimard, Molinard and Fragonard, each with tours and a museum. The trade in

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

and tanning work developed during the twelfth century around the small canal that runs through the city. This activity produced a strong unpleasant odor. At the time of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

perfume manufacturers began production of gloves,

handbag A handbag, commonly known as a purse or pocketbook in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items. Purse, handbag or pouch The term "purse" originally referred to a small bag for holding coins. In man ...

s and

belt (clothing) A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather, plastic, or heavy cloth, worn around the natural waist or near it (as far down as the hips). The ends of a belt are free; and a buckle forms the belt into a loop by securing one en ...

, to meet the new fashion from Italy with the entourage of Queen Catherine de Medici. The countryside around the city began to grow fields of flowers, offering new scents from the city. In 1614, the king recognized the new corporation of "glovers perfumers". In the middle of the eighteenth century, the perfumery was experiencing a very important development. Leading companies dating from this period includes the oldest

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

perfumerie, and third oldest parfumerie in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, Galimard established in 1747. Introduction of new production methods turned perfume making into a real industry that could adapt to new market demands. In the nineteenth century, the raw materials began to be imported from abroad. During the twentieth century the creation of synthetic products brought the democratization & affordability of perfumes and their spin-offs; ( shampoos and

deodorants A deodorant is a substance applied to the body to prevent or mask body odor due to bacterial breakdown of perspiration or vaginal secretions, for example in the armpits, groin, or feet. A subclass of deodorants, called antiperspirants, prevents ...

cream (pharmaceutical) A cream is a preparation usually for application to the skin. Creams for application to mucous membranes such as those of the rectum or vagina are also used. Creams may be considered pharmaceutical products as even cosmetic creams are based on ...

and detergents, food flavoring for cookies, ice cream and dairy products, beverages,

convenience food Convenience food, also called tertiary processed food, is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) to optimise ease of consumption. Such food is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily p ...

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlappi ...

, preserves and syrups). In 1905, six hundred tons of flowers were harvested while in the 1940s, five thousand tons were produced annually. However, in early 2000, production was less than 30 tons for all flowers combined.

Historical activity

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, Grasse specialized in leather tanning. Once tanned, the hides were often exported to

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

, cities that shared a commercial alliance with Grasse. Several centuries of this intense activity witnessed many technological advances within tanning industries. The hides of Grasse acquired a reputation for high quality. But the leather smelled badly, something that did not please the glove wearing

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

. This is when Jean de Galimard, a tanner in Grasse, came up with the idea of scented leather gloves. He offered a pair of scented gloves to Catherine de Medici, who was seduced by the gift. Thereafter, the product spread through the Royal Court and high society, and this made a worldwide reputation for Grasse. The seventeenth century became the heyday of "Glovers Perfumers'; however, high taxes on leather and competition from Nice brought a decline for the leather industry in Grasse, and production of leather

fragrance An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance or flavoring, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficiently v ...

ceased. The rare scents from the Grasse ( lavender, myrtle, jasmine,

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

orange blossom Orange Blossom is a French band that plays a mix of electronic and world music. The band was formed in Nantes in 1993 with Pierre-Jean Chabot (known as ''PJ Chabot'') on violin and Jean-Christophe Waechter (known as ''Jay C.'') on percussions ...

and wild

mimosa ''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resemb ...

) did win the title for the Grasse as the perfume capital of the world. Harvesting jasmine was a labor-intensive business only a few decades ago. Flowers had to be hand picked at dawn, when their scent is the most developed and immediately to be treated by cold enfleurage.

Modern industry

A network of sixty companies employs 3,500 people in the city and surrounding area. Additionally about 10,000 residents of Grasse are indirectly employed by the perfume industry. Almost half of the business tax for the city comes from the perfume sector and that is ahead of

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

and services. The main activity of perfumery in Grasse is in the production of natural raw materials ( essential oils, concretes, absolutes,

resinoid Resinoids are extracts of resinous plant exudates (balsams, oleo gum resins, and natural oleoresins). Production Resinous plant exudates (balsams, oleo gum resins, and natural oleoresins) and animal secretions (ambergris, castoreum, musk, and ...

s and

molecular distillation Molecular distillation is a type of short-path vacuum distillation, characterized by an extremely low vacuum pressure, 0.01 torr or below, which is performed using a molecular still. It is a process of separation, purification and concentration of ...

) and the production of concentrate, also called the juice. A concentrate is the main product that when diluted in at least 80% alcohol provides a perfume. Also food flavorings, which developed since the 1970s, account for over half of production output today. This represents almost half of the production of French perfumes and aromas and around 7-8% of total global activity. However, during the 1960s and 1970s large international groups gradually bought up local family factories (Chiris, Givaudan-Roure and Lautier, for example). Soon after their production has often been relocated overseas. Just 30 years ago most companies were focused on the production of raw materials. However an overwhelming majority of the modern fragrances contain synthetic chemicals in part or in whole. Grasse perfume companies have therefore adapted by turning to aromatic synthesis and especially to food flavorings and successfully ended a long stagnation. The Grasse perfume industry cannot compete against large chemical multinationals, but it benefits greatly from the advantage of its knowledge of raw materials, facilities, contractors, etc. In addition, major brands such as

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds 42.36% shar ...

and

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chane ...

have their own plantations of roses and jasmine in the vicinity of Grasse.

Perfumeries

Three perfumeries, Fragonard, Molinard and Galimard opened their doors to the public and offer free tours that explain the processes of producing a perfume. It is possible to create one's own perfume, eau de perfume or eau de toilette and participate in all stages of manufacture from picking flowers to bottling. * Galimard Perfumery, established in 1747 by Jean de Galimard, provided the Royal Court with ointments and perfumes. It is the third oldest perfume company in the world after

Farina gegenüber Farina may refer to: Places * Farina, South Australia, a town in Australia * Farina, Illinois, a village in the United States People * Farina (surname) * Farina (singer), a Colombian reggaeton singer Fictional characters * Farina (''Pearls ...

and

Floris of London Floris (also J. Floris Ltd or Floris of London Holdings Ltd) is the oldest English retailer of fragrance and toiletries and is still family owned and run today by the 8th and 9th generations of the family. History Juan Famenias Floris arrive ...

and was revived after the war by Gaston de Fontmichel and Joseph Roux. * Molinard was established in 1849 and their perfume bottles were made of Baccarat

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macro ...

and Lalique glass. Clients can create their own personalized perfume during the Tarinology fragrance course workshop. * The Fragonard Perfumery was established in 1926 in one of the oldest factories in the city. Its museum Fragonard Musée du Parfum displays rare objects that explain the history of perfumery, covering 5,000 years. * International Perfume Museum. Opened in 1989, the museum traces the evolution of techniques during the 5,000 year history of perfumery and the large contribution of the Grasse area to perfume making. It was renovated and expanded (doubling in size) between 2007 and 2008. * Perfume Art Creation, perfumed art-producing company combining authentic fragrances from Grasse, and an

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

based in

Zollikerberg Zollikon is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland known for being one of Switzerland's most exclusive districts. Besides the main settlement of Zollikon, which lies on the shore of Lake Zürich, the municip ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Its fragrance-infused artworks and paintings are the copyright concept of Perfume Art Creation, which allows the viewer visually to explore the artwork, to smell it, allowing for holistic stimulation of the senses. Working and creating commonly with the artists, the paintings are infused with the preferred collector’s perfume and scent, and his or her individual or corporate fragrance is introduced into the art.

Population

Religion

The town is home to

Grasse Cathedral Grasse Cathedral, now the Church of Notre-Dame-du-Puy (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame-du-Puy de Grasse), is a 12th-century Roman Catholic church located in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France. The former cathedral is in the Romanesque architectura ...

, the seat of the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

former Diocese of Grasse which was led by the Bishops of Grasse.

Education

The town is home to the Lycée Amiral-de-Grasse and sunce 2019 one of two seats of the higher education engineering college

ECAM-EPMI ECAM-EPMI (also ''École catholique des arts et métiers - EPMI'') a French engineering College. Founded in 1992 by four companies (EDF, Schneider Electric, Philips and PSA) under the name EPMI or ''École d'électricité, de production et de ...

Sport

RC Grasse is the local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

club, whereas RO Grasse the local

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

club.

In popular culture

The town is the setting in the final chapters of the novel ''

Perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent ...

'' by Patrick Süskind. It was featured in the film based on the novel ''Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'' (2006).

Main sights

Three perfume factories offer daily tours and demonstrations, which draw in many of the region's visitors. In addition to the perfumeries, Grasse's other 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 Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

and one by

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Jean-Honoré Fragonard (; 5 April 1732 (birth/baptism certificate) – 22 August 1806) was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific ...

, the French painter native of the town. File:Grasse - Parfumerie 3.JPG, Grasse - Parfumerie File:Grasse, Parfumerie Molinard.jpg, Parfumerie Molinard File:Napoleon Memorial, Grasse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France - panoramio.jpg, Napoleon Memorial File:Fleur de jasmin.JPG, Fleur de jasmin File:France-002804 - Blessed Sacrament chapel (15816473130).jpg, Blessed Sacrament chapel Other sights include: * Saracen Tower, standing at 30m. * Monumental gate of the ''Hôtel de ville'' * International Museum of Perfume * ''Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence'' * Church of Plascassier, built in 1644 File:18 rue Amiral de Grasse Entree de l'Hotel Court de Fontmichel.JPG, Hotel Court de Fontmichel File:Grasse palais des congrès2.jpg, Palais des congrès File:Boulevard du Jeu de Ballon, Grasse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France - panoramio (1).jpg, Boulevard du Jeu de Ballon File:France-002835 - Place aux Aires (people) (16004140382).jpg, Place aux Aires File:France-002830 - Side Street in Old Town (15382535214).jpg, Side Street in Old Town

Notable people

Grasse was the birthplace of: * Louis Bellaud (1543–1588), also known as Bellaud de la Bellaudière, poet *

Mélanie Bernier Mélanie Bernier (born 5 January 1985) is a French actress. She has appeared in several films, such as '' L'Assaut'' (2011), directed by Julien Leclerq, relating the hijacking of an Air France A300 in December 1994, and also in several televisi ...

(born 1985), actress *

Frédéric Bourdillon Frédéric Bourdillon (born March 16, 1991) is a French-Israeli professional basketball player who plays for Hapoel Holon in the Israel Basketball Premier League. Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard position. Early life Bourdillon is J ...

(born 1991), French-Israeli basketball player in the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

Jacques Cavallier Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud (born 24 January 1962) is a French perfumer formerly with the Swiss fragrance and flavor company Firmenich, who currently works for Louis Vuitton of the LVMH Luxury Group. He has created or collaborated in the crea ...

(born 1962), perfumer *

Albert Charpin Albert Charpin, born in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes in 1842, died in Asnières-sur-Seine in 1924. He was a naturalist painter associated with the Barbizon school. He painted real objects in a natural setting. A pupil of Charles-François Daubigny, ...

(1842–1924), painter *

Olivier Cresp Olivier Cresp (born 1955) is a French perfumer. Olivier Cresp was born in Grasse, France in 1955. His sister is fellow perfumer Françoise Caron. His father and grandfather both traded in the raw materials used in making perfume. Cresp has been ...

(born 1955), perfumer * Jean-Claude Ellena (born 1947), perfumer *

Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard Alexandre-Évariste Coccinelle Fragonard (26 October 1780 – 10 November 1850) was a French painter and sculptor in the troubadour style. He received his first training from his father and drew from him his piquant subjects and great facility, p ...

(1780-1850), painter and sculptor *

(1732–1806), painter * Jean Claude Gandur (born 1949), businessman * Valentine Goby (born 1974), writer *

Marcel Journet Marcel Journet (25 July 1868 – 7 September 1933), was a French, bass, operatic singer. He enjoyed a prominent career in England, France and Italy, and appeared at the foremost American opera houses in New York City and Chicago. Biography ...

(1868–1933), operatic baritone * Vincent Koziello (born 1995), footballer * Gilles Marini (born 1976), actor *

Michèle Mouton Michèle Mouton (born 23 June 1951) is a French former rally driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982. Mouton debuted ...

(born 1951), rally driver *

Charles Pasqua Charles Victor Pasqua (18 April 192729 June 2015) was a French businessman and Gaullist politician. He was Interior Minister from 1986 to 1988, under Jacques Chirac's '' cohabitation'' government, and also from 1993 to 1995, under the government ...

(1927-2015), businessman and politician * Gazan de la Peyrière (1765-1845), general during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

Eugénie Le Sommer Eugénie Anne Claudine Le Sommer (born 18 May 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for French club Lyon and the France national team. She primarily plays as a creative attacking midfielder and left winger, but has a ...

(born 1989), women footballer * Thomas Pinault (born 1981), footballer * Adam Bessa, (born 1992), actor * Théo Pourchaire (born 2003), racing driver Bar-le-Duc - Statue du comte de Grasse -295

Bar-le-Duc - Statue du comte de Grasse -295

Grasse was the death place of: *

Christian Calmes Christian Calmes (11 July 1913 – 5 July 1995) was a Luxembourg civil servant, lawyer, and historian. He served as Secretary-General of the precursor to the Council of the European Union from its inception as part of the European Coal and Steel ...

, Luxembourgian civil servant, lawyer, and historian * Prince Eugen of Bavaria, member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach *

Lolo Ferrari Lolo Ferrari (born Ève Valois; 9 February 1963 – 5 March 2000), was a French dancer, actress, and singer billed as "the woman with the largest breast implants in the world". She entered the international limelight in 1995, appearing in the ...

, dancer, actress, and singer *

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pi ...

, singer *

Yvonne Rozille Yvonne Rozille, ''née'' Marie-Yvonne Gilberte Rouzille (5 January 1900, Commentry – 1 December 1985, Grasse) was a French film actress. In 1937, she married Georges Gaillard, honorary prefect and codirector of the Théâtre du Vaudeville, found ...

(1900–1985), film actress *

Eugène Sémérie Eugène Sémérie (6 January 1832, Aix-en-Provence – 3 May 1884, Grasse) was a French doctor and writer involved with the positive movement. In 1870 Sémérie was one of the founders of the Positivist Club, which was set up following the procl ...

(1832–1884), positivist activist Also notable: *

Ivan Bunin Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin ( or ; rus, Ива́н Алексе́евич Бу́нин, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ ˈbunʲɪn, a=Ivan Alyeksyeyevich Bunin.ru.vorb.oga; – 8 November 1953) was the first Russian writer awarded the ...

, Russian writer,

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

, 1933 * François Joseph Paul de Grasse (1723–1788) admiral, best known for his command of the French fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake, which led directly to the British surrender at Yorktown *

Gérard Philipe Gérard Philipe (born Gérard Albert Philip, 4 December 1922 – 25 November 1959) was a prominent French actor who appeared in 32 films between 1944 and 1959. Active in both theatre and cinema, he was, until his early death, one of the main ...

, actor * Frederic Prokosch, American writer * Alice Charlotte von Rothschild, patron of the arts * H. G. Wells, British writer *

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as '' Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Org ...

, actor

Twin towns - sister cities

Grasse is twinned with: *

Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an independent city on the Danube in Upper Bavaria with 139,553 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2022). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan area. Ingolstadt is the second largest city in Upper Ba ...

, Germany since 1963 *

Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence. Its mot ...

, Italy since 1995 *

Vila Real, Portugal Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the North region. It is also the seat of the Douro intermunicipal community and of the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro historical province. The Vila Real municipality cover ...

since 1975 *

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

, Spain since 1990 *

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends into the northern part of Massachusetts Bay. Attache ...

USA since 1986 *

Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city l ...

, Poland since 1964 * Kazanlak, Bulgaria * Pardes Hanna-Karkur, Israel