Domaine de Manon has grown perfume plants in the hills of Grasse since the 1930s, on chemin du Servan. It raises centifolia rose, grandiflorum jasmine and tuberose, three flowers picked by hand for creative perfumery. The know-how attached to growing and processing these flowers in the Grasse country is inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
The encounter happens in the fields, during the harvest: the rose is picked from May to early June, jasmine and tuberose from August to October. Groups are received by direct arrangement with the grower, which keeps the conversation on cultivation, picking and where the flowers end up rather than on a set route. This remains a working farm: the useful window is short and dictated by the flowering itself.
Other experiences in Vieux-Port de Cannes
A 1934 Art Deco house designed by the painter Jean-Gabriel Domergue, bequeathed to the City of Cannes and listed as a historic monument. It opens only for guided visits and prestige events.
Culture & HeritageFort Royal on Sainte-Marguerite IslandA Vauban-type fort listed as a historic monument off Cannes, home to the state prisons and the Iron Mask museum. Two rooms and a sea-facing terrace can be taken privately.
Culture & HeritageMusee Bonnard, Beyond Public HoursA museum devoted to Pierre Bonnard, housed in a Belle Epoque building in Le Cannet. Its galleries, forecourt and garden terrace open for private receptions outside public visiting hours.
Culture & HeritagePlace de la Castre and the Museum CourtyardAt the top of Le Suquet, the precinct of a listed former monastic castle, looking over the bay, the Croisette and the Lerins islands. The City of Cannes allows the square and inner courtyard to be used privately.
Food & VineyardsThe Monks' Vineyard on Saint-HonoratA Cistercian community farms and vinifies its own vineyard on a car-free island facing Cannes. Group tastings are held at the foot of the vines, led by a sommelier.