Biot, just down the coast from Nice, is a town known for its pottery, and also as the home of perfectly imperfect handmade glass. Inside La Verrerie de Biot, the furnace roars. Molten glass clings to the end of a blowpipe, white-hot. An artisan glassblower breathes life into it, and with a turn of the rod the glowing orb grows.

But here’s the real twist: a dusting of bicarbonate of soda between layers of glass creates bubbles, which are then trapped inside and are frozen forever. What emerges is alive with air, colour and light.They’ve been making glass here since 1956, when a potter became fascinated by the ephemeral, other-worldly nature of working with glass. The bubbles came by accident, but they stayed: the workshop refined the technique, turning a defect into an identity. The bubbled glass isn’t a mistake, it’s a signature.

No two tumblers, carafes or jugs are identical. The swirl of colour, the pattern of bubbles, the slight distortions – these are the hand of the glassblower, the breath of the furnace, the pulse of tradition. It takes patience. After shaping, every glass spends 18 quiet hours cooling and settling.

Passed from one family to another, La Verrerie de Biot has changed ownership only once in 70 years. Its heritage has been recognised by UNESCO and the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label, reserved for those who master traditional and exceptional know-how.

The challenge for company boss Anne Lechaczynski, as for many traditional artisan makers, lies in keeping the tradition alive. Passing the flame down and reinterpreting the style without changing its soul. The world moves fast; glass moves slowly. When the heat fades, colour, light and legacy remain. A unique human breath in every creation.