Avignon was the hub of the universe for most of the fourteenth century. Or at least the hub of Western European Christianity. What happened was that in 1309 Pope Clement V settled in Avignon with his Cardinals and the entire Papal Court, because Rome was in constant turmoil. Seven (or Read More …
Probably all French children learn the song “On the Bridge of Avignon” at a tender age, and most people learning French anywhere in the world also have to learn it — I know I did. Sur le pont d’Avignon L’on y danse, l’on y danse, Sur le pont d’Avignon L’on Read More …
This theater was built in 1846-47 to replace an earlier theater that had been destroyed by fire. For many years it was called Opéra-Théâtre d’Avignon or just Opéra d’Avignon, but on January 1, 2013 it was given a classy new name, so now it is officially known as the Opéra Read More …
The Avignon city tourist office at Square Agricol Perdiguier is just a five-minute walk from the central railroad station, straight ahead through the Porte de la République and along the main street Cours Jean Jaurès. This is the starting point for their guided walking tours (in French, usually) of the Read More …
This ‘small palace’ in Avignon is small only when compared to the huge Palace of the Popes on the same square, but by any other standards the Petit Palais is itself a large building, and it is filled to the brim with outstanding medieval religious artworks. To my relief, most Read More …
The Calvet Museum is one of several worthwhile art museums in Avignon. Its main building is this mansion on Rue Joseph Vernet, which was built from 1741 to 1754 for a family called Villeneuve-Martignan. The museum has been located here since 1835. The street was named after the eighteenth-century painter Read More …
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon) is the title of a famous painting from the year 1907 by Pablo Picasso (1881–1973). This painting has been described as revolutionary and controversial, as one of the most important canvases of the twentieth century and as a pivotal work in the development Read More …
This English-language bookshop on Rue de la Carreterie in Avignon was founded in 1994 (or 1992, depending on which website you believe) by Wolfgang Zuckermann. He called it “Shakespeare” in the tradition of the bookshop “Shakespeare & Co.” that was started in Paris by Sylvia Beach in 1919. Wolfgang Zuckermann Read More …
The train station Gare Avignon TGV was opened in 2001 on the outskirts of Avignon as part of the new LGV Méditerranée, the high-speed railway line from Lyon to Marseille. Like most of the new TGV stations (such as the ones near Reims, Belfort and Besançon), this station has four Read More …
As you may have noticed, I’m a great fan of urban bike sharing systems. I have used them successfully in Paris, Lyon, Antwerp, Hamburg, Bern, Zürich, Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Dortmund, Hannover, Lille and a number of other cities, and was always highly satisfied. I was less satisfied with the system in Read More …