France: Avignon
Sur le pont, qui est cassé
Americans know Avignon best as the locale of an old nursery rhyme, but what made its place in history were its centuries as an alternate Vatican City.
Today’s Wheelhouse
It’s a joystick now, not a wheel.
A bridge not far Enough
The Pont St. Benezet on the Rhône, built in 1234, was partly destroyed by a flood two hundred years ago. It has been afforded fame by that nursery rhyme that so many of us learned so long ago.
But although you have to pay a fee, you can still dance on it.
Summer festivals
Carnivals like this travel from town to town entertaining the locals.
Small-Town Life
Street musicians, cafés, politics and hearty dining options, all in an environment of carefully nurtured tradition.
A temporary Vatican
Between 1309 and 1376, during a period of civil strife among the states of Italy, Avignon was the seat of the Catholic papacy. After the Council of Constance in 1417, Vatican City was formally reestablished as the papal seat.
At that time the Papal Palace of Avignon was mostly torn down, only recently to be restored for its historic significance.
