MÚSES | ACCADEMIA EUROPEA DELLE ESSENZE

MÚSES- European Academy of Essences is a cultural and exhibition project, devised by the Le Terre dei Savoia Association, to valorise Piedmont's centuries-old knowledge in the production of medicinal herbs. Its venue is Palazzo Taffini d'Acceglio, a splendid aristocratic building owned by the Banca Cassa di Risparmio di Savigliano, in Savigliano, in the province of Cuneo, where the degree course in Herbal Techniques - run by the University of Turin - is also located. Múses is ideally connected to the experimental activities in the field of agriculture, which developed in the 19th century in the Park and in the Castle of Racconigi, and is at the heart of several other projects of the Association Le Terre dei Savoia, focused on the theme of essences. Since 2015, Palazzo Taffini d'Acceglio in Savigliano has been hosting Múses- European Academy of Essences and has transformed its spaces into a modern Academia Garden, where one can learn the secrets of olfactory experiences. The tour begins by passing through the Garden of Essences, where you can discover aromatic, officinal and flower essences of various kinds, with particular attention to native species, such as, for example, the mint of Pancalieri. The visit continues through 13 multimedia exhibition halls, where contemporary art installations follow one another and offer visitors unique sensory experiences and the chance to travel through time and place, to discover the workshop of the Byzantine Empress Zoe Porphyrogenita, the routes of the Venetian mude, the legendary water of the Queen of Hungary, the predilections of Caterina de' Medici and the flair of Giovanni Maria Farina, inventor of Eau de Cologne, up to the modern technologies adopted by today's Maisons. The tour is completed by a visit to the Salon of the Gods, where 24 Murano glass olfactors preserve the essences of the main olfactory families.