Verrerie of Biot

Biot is a medieval village perched on a hilly green countryside. It is ideally located between Nice and Cannes and just 20 min by car from gaiasvillas in Théoule-sur-Mer. It has managed to maintain a certain level of quality of life and to protected its identity linked to its history of arts and crafts. The arrival of artists such as Fernand Léger, whose museum stands at the foot of the village, and the installation of La Verrerie de Biot, have attracted numerous manufacturing shops in Biot.

 The Verriales: this is an important exhibition for the glass industry of Biot and the first exhibition took place in 1977. Every year, on the first Friday in July, the event brings together more than 30 artists all working on a single theme which changes every time. This offers an opportunity to check out exclusive designs and pieces produced especially for this event. 
The Verriales is actually an exhibition offering talented young artists the chance to rub shoulders with big names and encourage them to create “the piece”. 
The Galerie also takes an educational approach by explaining to the visitor the techniques and the procedures of glass sculpturing. Ernst Gombrich once said: "there is no such thing as art, there are only artists." The Verrerie de Biot uses the unique and self-invented material called "bubbled glass" and it hosts the International Glass Gallery, showing the creations of international artists. It also offers discovery courses with a master glassblower upon reservation. The glass tradition in the South of France is very ancient with master glass-makers settling there due to the many large pine forests that provided a never-ending supply of wood for their furnaces. But Biot’s fame really began in 1956 with the creation of La Verrerie de Biot and its bubbled glass. The inventor of those bubble was an artist named Eloi Monod, a chemical engineer, who worked for the Poterie Provençale, owned by René Augé-Laribé. Special tools allow the glass blower to manipulate the bubbles into certain designs. Monod was so successful and popular with his invention, that he even served as mayor of Biot. In 1974 Monod sold the Verrerie de Biot to the Lechaczynski family who continues the business and the art of glass blowing. Nowadays there are about 12 different verreries in Biot that create unique objects, glasses and special designed vases and bowls. La Verrerie de Biot also offers glass-blowing courses. A professional glass-maker will take you through a basic training course covering the tools and techniques of glass-blowing. If you wish to blow your own vase, you can easily do so by going directly or by calling first   +33 4 93 65 03 00.