Should that be the case, then Grasse's place as the final stop on this floral route is set to acquire an even greater significance. From start to finish, La Route du Mimosa can easily be covered in a day, but two days (the average time most people take, Polomeni told me) is better. Anything more is a bonus, because the real delights of this southern French road trip are found off the main roads and outside of the car – in the forests, greenhouses and kitchens where these tiny rays of winter sunshine have firmly taken root.