Mouans-Sartoux

Located between the sea and perfumes, Mouans-Sartoux was once an agricultural village, with its olive trees and floral crops of jasmine and roses intended for Grasse perfumeries. He gradually opened up to trade and crafts, without losing his Provencal soul.

To discover it, leave from the historic center, from one of its two squares shaded with plane trees, embellished with a beautiful “ancient” style fountain and a church with a pink and blue baroque facade. Then go through its quiet and flowery alleys, with facades colored in blue, yellow or pink, before returning to the square to quench your thirst at a coffee terrace.

The visit continues at the 16th century castle and its museum of contemporary art. To extend the evocation of the perfumes that have made the history of the village, the gardens of the International Museum of Perfumery (JMIP) invite you to take a walk among the perfume plants.

The village also lives to the rhythm of its markets: on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Place de la Mairie, with food and fish, and on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Place Jean Jaurès, where food and producers of the country meet.

Between heritage, art and scents, Mouans-Sartoux is savored with the five senses.

The essentials

In Mouans-Sartoux, we explore the village between history, perfumes and art. Built between the end of the 15th and the very beginning of the 16th century by Jean de Grasse, the castle remained the property of the Grasse until 1750, before moving to the Villeneuves. Partially destroyed during the Revolution, like many seigneurial residences, it belongs to the municipality since 1988 and is registered in the inventory of historical monuments.

In the heart of the castle, the Espace de l’Art Concret houses several sites dedicated to concrete art and its heritage. The Albers-Honegger donation, a cubic building designed by Swiss architects Gigon & Guyer, presents a permanent collection unique in France, with more than 600 works by major artists.

For scent lovers, the Gardens of the International Museum of Perfumery (JMIP) deploy a unique setting on 3.5 hectares, around an old canal and an agricultural basin. Rose centifolia, jasmine, tuberose, lavender, geranium, broom, orange: we discover and feel these plants, from here or elsewhere, which have provided the precious raw materials of perfumery for centuries.

Over the course of the walk, the Saint-André church, the “Reflects of a rural world” museum, the media library and the La Strada cinema complete the discovery.

Art, perfumes and heritage: in Mouans-Sartoux, each visit awakens the senses.