Travelling

Fragonard, Pisa and Florence

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September 13th 2004
Today we departed for Firenze (Florence). We stopped off at the Fragonard Perfumerie in Grasse this morning for a demonstration on how they produce their perfumes. Grasse is cradled by hills, with views out to sea, and surrounded by fields of lavender, mimosa, jasmine and roses. It has been the centre of the world's perfume industry since the 16th-century, when Catherine de' Médici started the fa ... read more

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

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Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI establis... ... read more