Place aux Aires

The Place aux Aires is the small, lively square in the middle of the old town of Grasse, and it is a good place to get a sense of what life in this perfume capital is like away from the factory tours. It is enclosed by tall old houses with arcades at street level, painted in warm shades, and a fountain stands in the centre. The square is modest in size, so it is easily crossed in a minute, but it is a place where it is worth slowing down, with café terraces under the arches and a view of the lanes leading uphill.

The name comes from an old word for a flat, open piece of ground that was used for outdoor work such as threshing or drying, and in Grasse such open spaces were useful in the days when the town's economy was based on tanning and leatherwork. For centuries, tanneries stood along the streams below the old town, and the craftsmen needed places to spread and dry their skins. When perfumed gloves became fashionable in Europe in the sixteenth century, Grasse's tanners began to scent their work, which led the town gradually from leather to perfume. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the perfume industry grew until the town dominated the world market for natural flower essences, and the hills around Grasse were planted with jasmine, rose and other flowers.

The square has long been a market place, and in the morning, stalls may sell flowers, fruit, vegetables and local products, giving it a colourful and fragrant mood. Evenings are quieter, with diners at the restaurants and people crossing on their way to the cathedral or the lanes above. The surrounding streets are full of small shops, galleries and houses with carved doors and wrought-iron balconies.

The square is the natural starting point for exploring the rest of the old town. The Église Notre-Dame-du-Puy, the former cathedral, is a short climb away, and the Rue de la République leads through the centre. The Musée International de la Parfumerie, the Musée du Parfum Fragonard and the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire show the story of the trade and of the region, while the perfume factories of Fragonard and Marsan offer free tours that explain how scents are made. The Jardin des Parfums et des Plantes displays the flowers themselves, and the Parc de la Paix is a quiet corner.

The square is free and open at all times. A stop takes ten minutes or an hour, depending on how long you linger over a coffee. It suits walkers and anyone interested in the character of Grasse.