From a distance it could be where Cinderella went to the castle ball. Instead it's a UNESCO World Heritage site, preserved in all its medieval-Gothic glory: ramparts, historic center, Palace of the Popes, Rochers-des-Dom gardens, and the unfinished bridge of Avignon. Even the brilliant sun seemed to welcome us in a herald of glory. A driving tour encircling the town's stone walls gave us a sense of the size of the city, and ability to see the bridge Saint-Bénezet (built 12c, destroyed, collapsed, finally abandoned in the 17c), all of which evoked its historic charm.
Popes (fleeing the Rome chaos in 1309) and anti-popes (during the Great [Catholic church] Schism of the 14th & 15c) built this city into an extravaganza, which, expanded over time, became more of a fortress. An audio tour of the palace gives history and permits the imagination to flow since the rooms and halls are barren of furnishings. Softening the cold, grey stone was a rose & flower show in progress during our visit. Highlights were the frescoes, particularly the hunting scene in the Stag Room/Study, which I thought a surprising pictorial topic, beautifully and artfully painted with birds, warriors, bows and arrows, hunters in the forest.
It was fun to poke around Avignon with its winding streets, all points leading back towards the palace. Connecting squares bustling with cafés and restaurants, lined up back-to-back with its neighbor, were jammed with people socializing and waiters hovering like mosquitoes back and forth to patrons. Massive trees, awnings, and table umbrellas provided ample shade.
Avignon is a great jumping off point to other sites and smaller towns in the Provence region. A short drive to another UNESCO site, the great aqueduct bridge Pont du Gard, that crosses the Gardon River, gives us more of a taste of Roman occupation and influence in this region, not to mention exquisite architectural and engineering feat. The informative museum gives many details but cannot prepare me for the incredible, massive structure we are about to see. Within the distance of 50km (about 31 miles)water was brought from the spring at Uzès across and through valleys, mountains, and flat land alike to its destination, Nîmes, dropping 56 feet within that entire length. It took 15 years to build the entire aqueduct and 5 years alone on this bridge. I was blown away!
After seeing the Pont du Gard, it was a short driving jaunt over to the quaint town of Uzès to check out the main starting point for this incredible water journey. We poked around town, ate at a tea shop, plopped down at an outdoor café to soak in some impromptu music, and admired the Pisa-like pillar called Fenestrelle Tower, part of Saint-Théodorit Cathedral.
