/ Avignon in Provence in the south of France, was home to nine popes during the 14th century and is one of the most beautiful cities in France today, Avignon is a treasure house of palaces, museums and meandering lanes, surrounded by an old fortified wall that still protects it from modernization.
That is one of the beauties of a walled town in Europe: Not only did it protect the town from bandits and invaders during the Middle Ages, but in the 20th and 21st centuries the wall is protecting these historic centers from modernization. This is what the visitors want to see, and it brings in revenue for the city. Within the wall of Avignon you have a nicely preserved old town, and yet the same time, very modern shops that are way up to date and populated by hip people.
This city in the heart of beautiful Provence lays claim to dozens of historic monuments, especially the great Palace of the Popes which was gradually enlarged into an imposing fortification during the 60-year papal residency and is now a museum open to the public.
This movie combines several shorter earlier movie to provide a complete picture of this wondrful city.
The pedestrian shopping district extends ten square blocks south, but save it for tomorrow so you can devote more of this first day to the historic sites and west side of town.
Energetic types might opt for a 10-block circular stroll through some of these quiet back alleys towards the small 14th-century church of St. Pierre and over to busy Rue Carnot, then walk back to the palace on Rue de la Croix.
Avignon’s Old Town is a charming neighborhood of shopping lanes, narrow residential streets and little back alleys, perfect for strolling. Some of these routes are exclusively for pedestrians, especially in the shopping center just southeast of Place de l’Horloge.
This historic center can easily be seen on foot in one day, for it is a compact zone about one-half mile wide and long.
The curved shape of these streets will keep you guessing what’s around the bend, or which museum or monument is coming up next. Streets are level, riddled with little plazas, fountains, trees, some benches, and numerous cafes.
While this neighborhood is very old, the shops and galleries are up-to-date with modern interiors and contemporary European items for sale.
You'll find Avignon, the capital of Provence, is a perfect home base from which to visit other nearby places like Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Pont du Gard, Nimes, Uzès, Saint-Rémy, Les Baux-de-Provence and Marseilles, which we cover in other movies.