Avignon

Nestling in the hills of Provence is one of the historic cities of France: Avignon. People also known it as the second Rome because here the Popes had their residence from1309 to 1377 and had built a beautiful palace to live with the whole court of prelates, knights and ladies.

Bridge on the Rhone, in the background the Cathedral bell tower and towers of the Popes Palace - Avignon

To the Popes and their palace is connected the legend of the pastor Benezet who would build the Bridge over the Rhone, a marvelous bridge, 1 kilometer long, with 22 arches that in large part the floods of the river were taken away; today only four arches remain suspended above the river.

Palais des Papes, 14th century - Avignon

The Palais des Papes is great but it was built in just 20 years. With its 47 meters of height dominated the whole city and there were no windows halfway up to prevent the walls could be climbed: a real fortified town.
Next to the Palace of the Popes is the Cathedral of Avignon, a Catholic church dedicated to Notre-Dame-des-Doms that on the top of the bell tower is a statue of the Madonna 6 meters high that blesses Avignon; inside the church there are valuable frescoes by the Sienese painter Simone Martini.
In July, Palais des Papes and the nearby Place de l'Horloge, which takes its name from the clock of the Town Hall, host to the Festival of Avignon with many theater, music and dance performances, exhibitions and meetings.

Sandro Botticelli - Virgin and Child - Petit-Palais Museum - Avignon

To visit the Museum of the Petit-Palais, where there is a collection of paintings by primitive Italian painters among which stands out the Madonna of Botticelli, and the Angladon Museum which houses a rich collection of French impressionists.
Do not miss the visit to the covered market of Les Halles where you can buy typical foods of Avignon and then, for the curious people, a walk in the Rue des Teinturiers, also known as Rue de la Soie because this was the way of the silk dyers. The street is one of the most fascinating in the town: it runs along the Vaucluse canal where the water mills are located and arrives at the Couvent des Cordeliers where there is the tomb of Laura, the poet Francesco Petrarca's muse.

Rue des Teinturiers – Avignon