Grasse appeared in the cartularies of the Middle Ages, in the early 11th century.
At the beginning of the 12th century, Grasse became a free commune and an active commercial town. It has still kept to this day the urban structure of the time.

The winding network of its narrow streets reflects the successive expansions around its original hilltop, the Puy, where the cathedral stands, representing the spiritual and temporal authority.

Through its strategic position between sea and mountain, it has become, in addition to its dynamic commercial activity, the centre of a vast administrative and judicial district.

When Nice and its county were integrated into the department of Savoie, Grasse became a major fortified town thanks to its hide and tanning trade which gave it an international reputation.

The slow decline of the tanning trade was counterbalanced by the creation and rapid development of perfume making, a craft industry which, in the late 18th century, thanks to the abundance of floral crops favoured by its specific microclimate, became the basis of a powerful industry with an extraordinary development and influence even today.