Avignon

Avignon, capital of Christianity in the Middle Ages, has retained the imprint of the grand destiny. With a bridge of legend and the famous Palais des Papes, the ramparts, the mansions of the 17th and 18th centuries throughout the old city, gardens, churches and museums of incredible richness , Avignon will surprise you by beauty and diversity of its heritage.

The Palais des Papes is the symbol of the influence of the church on the Christian West in the fourteenth century. Built in 1335, in less than twenty years, it is the leadership of two builder popes , Benedict XII and his successor Clement VI.
The monument is the largest Gothic palace of the West (15 000 m2 of floor or of 4 Gothic cathedrals), and presents the visitor more than twenty places, events in theaters with universal resonance , including the private apartments Pope and fabulous decorations executed frescoes by Italian artist Matteo Giovannetti .
The Popes’ Palace welcomes 600,000 visitors a year . It is one of the most visited monuments in France 10 , it is a UNESCO World Heritage .

Home of a prestigious festival of contemporary theater, European City of Culture in 2000 , Avignon has many museums, an opera theater. Representations of the Avignon Festival , created by Jean Vilar in 1947, takes place in July in the Cour d’Honneur of the Palace.

All the beauties of Provence are within walking distance. Villages of the Luberon and Alpilles, Camargue wild , Roman cities , lavender out of sight on the plateaus of Vaucluse, reliefs of Montmirail and Mont Ventoux …