Fontaine de la Place aux Aires

The Fontaine de la Place aux Aires stands at the centre of a historic square in Grasse, surrounded by arcaded houses. Its round basin originally served as a watering trough for animals.

A Louis XVI-style column rises from the basin and carries several smaller bowls above it. Animal-head mascarons release water supplied by the Foux spring. Place aux Aires began outside Grasse’s walls, where farmers once threshed wheat across open ground. By the fourteenth century, the expanding city had absorbed this area within its new walls. Tanners later washed hides in an open canal, then dried them on flat stones beside it. Covering the canal gradually turned the working space into a meeting place for artisans, merchants, and markets.

Sixteenth-century arcades sheltered stalls and shoppers around the square. Food sellers and flower traders brought market life beneath them, alongside religious festivals and community gatherings. Maison Isnard, built in 1781, rises nearby with five floors and a balcony carrying an iron railing. The fountain’s stacked basins and animal-shaped spouts remain the detail that first catches your eye.