Top of the World
The Múses - European Academy of Essences is a techno-sensorial museum centre that starts from the rediscovery of the tradition of aromatic herbs in Piedmont, to offer a journey through the knowledge of the perfumery art, the essences and flavours of the territories. Let yourself be seduced by its exhibition path, an experience in continuous interaction between smell, history, art and technology. Located in the seventeenth-century Palazzo Taffini d'Acceglio, famous for its precious Hall of Honor, frescoed by the painters of the "Saviglianese School" students of Giovanni Antonio Molineri, which can be admired along the way, the Múses presents video installations, site-specific works by international contemporary artists, period instruments, characters who have innovated production techniques, revealing the secrets of perfumery art over the centuries. From Byzantium to Venice, following the routes of essential oils and spices, the great ladies of the Italian Renaissance, Caterina Sforza, Isabella d'Este, Caterina de' Medici, who were able to spread the pleasure of essences, becoming true icons of their times; from Piedmont to the rest of Europe with the fascinating saga of Eau de Cologne, the best-selling perfume in the world and created by a Piedmontese.
Prestigious international artists have created site-specific works, authentic and non-reproducible installations, designed to interpret in a suggestive way the metamorphosis between contemporary art and the world of medicinal herbs and perfume. In the courtyard of Palazzo Taffini the "Garden of the Senses" represents the most accomplished expression of the MÚSES - European Academy of Essences: a garden designed to stimulate all the senses through plants, flowers, fountains, sounds and perfumes that awaken the senses.
In the Sensory Room, the laboratory, equipped with 18 avant-garde multimedia stations, hosts lessons and workshops for adults, families and schools, where, thanks to special instrumentation, it is possible to learn the arts of creating a personalized perfume or a natural cosmetic product, but also to deepen the scientific knowledge of essences or evaluate their use in food production.
