French City Break: A Guide to Villeneuve-lez-Avignon in the Gard
By Google News Category City Breaks ·
The Gard city is ideal for escaping the crowds during Avignonâs annual theatre festival. But its charm, accessibility and gentler prices recommend it as a base at any time of year.
Stately Avignon, the historic seat of the French Popes and a dynamic centre for the arts, is a major stop on the Provence tourism circuit, especially during the acclaimed Avignon Festival. Crafted from the same tawny stone as Avignon, Villeneuve-lez-Avignon is often seen â if seen at all â as a satellite of its famous precursor across the bridge.
Not only does this beautifully preserved and equally historic town offer a peaceful respite from the summer crowds, it also provides a fascinating complement to Avignonâs storied past, along with an abundance of top-notch culture, dining and shopping.
Accessibility is a big part of Villeneuveâs allure; the town is an easy 10-minute bus ride from Avignon centre, and its major sites, dining and lodging are either on or within easy walking distance of the townâs main artery, Rue de la République.
Itâs well worth the trip from Avignon or as part of your Provence tour, if only for a stroll down this charming thoroughfare lined with alluring boutiques, cafés and gourmet shops. But lingering for a dose of history offers up beautifully preserved medieval sites resurrected as museums and exhibition spaces and a choice of top-notch hotels.
1. ABBAYE SAINT-ANDRÃ AND ABBATIAL PALACE
Visitors can tour the elegant palace, built on the site of the important 13th-century Benedictine monastery and royal abbey and its acres of gardens. An art gallery on the premises pays homage to Gustave Fayet, a multi-talented artist and prolific collector, who saved the abbey by financing its restoration.
One of the cityâs prettiest sites, itâs worth a visit to take in the views of Avignon and the river from its charming outdoor café.
At the townâs summit, 13th-century Fort Saint-André was primarily used by the kingdom of France to intimidate the Avignon popes across the river. Visitors can explore the fortress grounds and inner rooms, used as a prison and filled with centuries of historic graffiti. Views from the fort, and from Notre-Dame de Belvézet church housed within, reach to Avignon and white-capped Mont Ventoux.
Inside the historic five-acre complex, visitors can view the Carthusian monksâ cells, illuminated panels illustrating monastic life, three 14th-century cloisters and the vestiges of the monastery church, its garden, and the Gothic tomb of Pope Innocent VI. Pretty rose and herb gardens are planted as they would have been in monastic times.
The indoor-outdoor courtyard café is a delightful place for lunch or teatime or to watch theatrical events staged here during the Avignon Festival.
Below the abbey, this opulent 14th-century cardinalsâ manor contains a notable art collection spanning the Middle Ages to the 20th century, including the spectacularly colourful and richly detailed Couronnement de la Vierge (Coronation of the Virgin), an altarpiece painted in 1453 by Enguerrand Quarton, one of the most celebrated religious paintings of the 15th century.
The Tour Philippe-le-Bel was built by Philip IV to protect, monitor and fortify this strategic border. Visitors can climb the circular staircase to the top for jaw-dropping 360-degree panoramas of Avignon, the Rhône, Mont Ventoux and the Vaucluse beyond. Today, the ground floor serves as a space for art exhibitions and performances during the…
Originally published by Google News Category City Breaks
