By Neil Parkinson

Published in French Property News, May 2006

 

 

There is a small corner of France that once played host to Roman emperors and a whole suite of medieval Popes. It nurtured the talent of the poet, Petrarch, and, latterly, has inspired such luminaries of the arts as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway. What, then is the fascination of this area, this triangular frontier zone where Languedoc, Provence and Camargue all meet? What pull has drawn-in the powerful, the famous, and the gifted? -Is it perhaps the unique geographical and cultural identity of the place, with its wealth of natural forms and customs? Could it be the treasures of its historic heritage which include the ancient cities of Avignon, Arles, and Nimes?

 

The Languedoc is diverse geographically: plain, plateau, mountain and 'garrigue' -- the rocky arid terrain, rich in aromatic wild flowers -- each have their place. 'Provence', with a similar variety of different terrains evokes romantic visions of artists painting sunflower- and lavender-fields. Meanwhile the Camargue to the south, irrigated by the Rhône delta, has an identity of its own where horses and 'bull culture' are the way. The frontier zone benefits from a blend of all these distinct parts.

 

Avignon is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the south of France, having been, early on in its medieval history, home to the popes. A brief explanation on how the Papal court came to set up in Avignon runs like this: French Pope Clement V was in conflict with Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII. His decision to move to France in 1305 was taken in part therefore to relieve himself of the machinations of the Emperor, but also to develop better relations with the French court. Clement indirectly brought about the election of a whole line of Popes by means of a French domination of the College of Cardinals. Gregory XI was the last of the line who decided that a return to Rome, in 1378, was in order.

 

Avignon, for its part, is a town of multiple superlatives - the Papal palace is the largest Gothic palace in the world with an interior volume four times that of the average cathedral, whilst the 12th century St. Bénezet bridge - the famous "Pont d'Avignon"- is the oldest edifice on the Rhône river between Lyon and the Mediterranean.

 

The town mushroomed around the Papal palace to become one of the largest European cities of the time, with a population of 30,000 most of whom worked in the lavender fields, vineyards, orchards, stables. However, many of the Pope's Cardinals settled across the bridge in Villeneuve in order to flee what Petrarch described as - (and herewith an unenviable superlative) - 'the most disgusting and smelly town on the face of the earth'.

 

These days the town is far sweeter-smelling, and in addition to its fascinating architecture, is renowned for its summer theatre festival held in July: both the prestigious "in" festival held mostly in the palace, and the less esteemed but significantly more diverse "off" festival, which sees the most fervent theatre buffs hurrying between a maximum number of performances in a day. A visit to the city is a must just to appreciate the magnificence of the papal palace which dominates the cityscape and remaining arches of the bridge, and the general extravagance of the whole.

 

Arles, twenty miles to the south of Avignon, was a settlement of the Greek empire before becoming a Roman city and port. The Rhône river running beside the town was a means to transport raw materials (in particular salt from the Camargue) and eventually goods, notably denim from Nîmes (intriguingly a short form of "de Nîmes"). The central Roman edifice in the town is the arena, classed as the 20th in size in the whole Roman empire with a surface area of a little under three acres and today used for various cultural events including the Corrida. Also of great interest is the St. Trophime cloister, built between the 12th and 14th centuries and a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture.

 

This historic city is, of course, more recently known as having been home to Vincent Van Gogh. In 1888 he wrote to his brother Theo with a description of the setting: "the town is surrounded by immense meadows rich with innumberable sunflowers - a yellow sea". A Van Gogh centre has been created in the former Hôtel Dieu where the permanent exhibition includes a 'homage' paid to Van Gogh by various contemporary masters such as Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Roy Lichtenstein.

 

Nearby St. Rémy de Provence is also indelibly linked to Van Gogh as it was here that he spent the last year of his life. This town also has a weighty history running back to Roman civilisation - the archeological site of Glanum just over a mile from the town centre bears witness to this. St. Rémy boasts a great number of Renaissance facades, bourgeois town houses, chapels and convents, and a stroll along its narrow winding streets will take you to little shaded terraces with fountains. Van Gogh produced numerous pieces of work that are celebrated by the town in a viewing circuit.

 

Between St. Rémy and Arles lie the Alpilles between the Rhône and Durance rivers and to the north of the Désert de la Crau. Mountains they are, small by French standards at no higher than 1500 feet, yet quite dramatic with ragged summits, valleys, gorges, ravines and sheer drops. They are home to the Bonelli's eagle and the egyptian vulture. In the vallée du Baux, the main agricultural activity is the production of olive oil. Lying along the Alpilles at an altitude of 245m is the village of Les Baux de Provence, classed as one of the most beautiful

villages of France, with the ruins of a fortress and Renaissance village houses.

 

Nîmes, the westernmost point of the three-city triangle, twenty miles from Arles and twenty-seven miles from Avignon is among the oldest cities of the Languedoc, inhabited prior to Roman colonisation by nomadic tribes seeking refreshment from the natural springs in an otherwise arid landscape. Nîmes' most prestigious epoch is that under Roman rule; the Maison Carrée, Amphitheatre, Magne tower and, of course, the Pont du Gard aqueduct bridging the city to the sources of the river Eure near Uzès are spectacular monuments. Roman money was stamped with the crocodile and palm tree to celebrate Roman military victories; these have become city emblems.

 

Nîmes, saw successive periods of prosperity - in the 11th and 12th centuries through the trade of rich wool drapes and the more prosperous silk industry in the 16th century, a period which saw the construction of elegant town houses, boulevards and gardens. The most recent embellishment to the city centre is the 'Carré d'Art', a contemporary art museum designed by British architect Norman Foster that faces the Maison Carrée. Bull culture - 'tauromachie', from the words 'taureau' (bull) and 'makheia', (Greek for combat), is big here. Various corridas are hosted during the year, occasions celebrated throughout the city with a street party (féria). Wine festivals, art exhibitions and concerts of all sorts fill the local calendar.

 

Closeby, a 16th century village house, and formerly part of 'city' ramparts is currently for sale for 371,000€. This compelling property has undergone an exemplary restoration with beautiful vaulted reception areas, north and south terraces, and B&B facilities. A fabulous contemporary house just five minutes from the heart of the Nîmes and largely inspired by local Roman monuments is for sale for 1,060,000€.