Nicknamed "The City of Popes," Avignon was home to seven popes from 1309 - 1377. The Palace of the Popes is a rambling maze of Gothic architecture that served as papal residence, fortress, church and palace.
Avignon - Châteauneuf-Du-Pape
Constructed in 1316 by Pope John XXII as a summer residence for the Avignon Popes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the town that grew up around it is one of the world’s most celebrated wine-producing regions.
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A Little Touch of Home |
Avignon-et-Provence - The Saint Bénézet's Bridge
Four arches of the famed Saint Bénézet Bridge (of the song “Sur le pont d’Avignon”) still reach out from the town, its Romanesque St. Nicholas Chapel still perched on the second pier. The Rhône currents had defied bridging until St. Bénézet and his disciples built the bridge in the late 12th century. Broken several times, it was abandoned in 1680. People did dance there, as in the song—not on it but underneath it, on the Île de la Barthelasse.
