A religious experience

Where?

Sitting on the banks of the Rhône, the imposing walled city of Avignon was for some 70 years in the 14th century the capital of Christendom. Even when the papacy returned to Rome, Avignon remained an independent enclave ruled by a Papal legate until 1791. And today there is still something Italianate about the city enclosed inside its serrated ramparts that set it apart from the modern town and the rest of Provence beyond.

If you arrive by train - either at the Avignon Centre or via shuttle bus from the new TGV station - you'll arrive at the ramparts near Porte de la République from where the tree-lined Cours Jean-Jaurès and its continuation, Rue de la République, roughly divides the town in two. If you arrive by car, it's best to park and explore the city by foot. At the end of Rue de la République lies Place de l'Horloge - on the site of a Roman forum - with its pavement cafés, the town hall and theatre. Beyond here, the Palais des Papes looms over a large paved square, which also contains the ornately sculpted music conservatoire, the Petit Palais and the Cathédrale des Doms. To the west of Rue de la République, the circular sweep of Rue Joseph Vernet contains Avignon's smartest shops; to the east, towards Place Pie and Place St-Didier, is a semi-pedestrianised area of ancient narrow streets.

Old Avignon has several characterful hotels. The antique-filled 16th-century mansion that is the Hôtel de l'Europe (12 Place Crillon, 00 33 4 90 14 76 76; www.hotel-d-europe.fr; doubles from €135/£95) has has seen everyone from Napoléon to Victor Hugo. The faultlessly decorated La Mirande (4 Place de la Mirande, 00 33 4 90 85 93 93; www.la-mirande.fr; doubles from €295/£207) offers 20 personalised rooms. The Cloître St-Louis (20 Rue du Portail Boquier, 00 33 4 90 27 55 55; www.cloitre-saint-louis.com; doubles from €100/£70) combines the cloister of a former monastery with a modern steel and glass wing. For history on a budget, choose the intimate Hôtel de Blauvac (11 Rue de la Bancasse, 00 33 4 90 86 34 11; www.hotel-blauvac.com; doubles from €55/£39), the 17th-century former residence of the Marquis de Blauvac. Nearby, the Hôtel de Garlande (20 Rue Galante, 00 33 4 90 80 08 85; www.hoteldegarlande.com, doubles from €62/£44) has rooms decorated with a bright boho touch.

Why?

Enclosed within its walls you can easily imagine the papal plotting that once went on here. For three weeks in July, the town is a centre of frenetic cultural activity, when barely a church or cloister is not turned into a theatre or dance venue for the prestigious Festival d'Avignon and its even bigger offspring the "Off". For much of the rest of the year, however, Avignon goes into a sort of hibernation - all the better to absorb its atmosphere and discover its extraordinary and sometimes casually neglected architectural heritage. Although several mansions and churches have been converted into museums, theatres, hotels and restaurants, others still slumber waiting to be restored. Look up to discover ornate facades and statues peering down or let yourself get lost down side streets to discover shady Place St-Didier, the never-finished church of the Couvent des Cordeliers, or picturesque Rue des Teinturiers, with its stream and mill wheels.

As with the architecture, the popes' say in food and wine is still apparent, too. During the papacy melons from Cantaloupe in Italy were introduced to the region and are now the star crop in nearby Cavaillon; the popes encouraged the development of the vineyards, notably at Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The area's lavish produce can be admired in the covered market on Place Pie (every morning except Monday). Over 40 food stalls include olives and olive oils, goats cheeses, and local fruit and veg.

Avignon has plenty of restaurants and cafés where you can eat typically Provençal cuisine, with its lavish use of olive oil and herbs, such as daube d'Avignon (a succulent herby lamb stew), papetons (lozenges of aubergine purée), vegetable tians (gratins) and the taureau bull's meat of the Camargue. Another local speciality is papalines, sweets made from chocolate and oregano liqueur. They can be found at most patisseries, such as Mallard (Rue des Marchands).

Avignon is the capital of the massive Côtes du Rhône wine region. The ancient Ban des Vendanges celebrated in September marks the start of the harvest with a costumed parade, a mass, wine tastings and the ceremonial harvesting of the vineyard that was recently planted in the Jardin des Doms.

What?

The Palais des Papes remains the star attraction and the theatrical backdrop for all that goes on today. The palace is a veritable labyrinth of vaulted halls, echoing assembly rooms, frescoed chapels and narrow staircases, illustrating the palace's multiple functions as residence, place of worship, fortress and administrative centre. Finish your visit by trying some of the wines sold there at vineyard prices.

Not to be forgotten, jutting out into the river is what remains of the Pont d'Avignon of song fame, officially called the Pont St-Bénezet. A reminder that the city's fortifications served in part against the ravages of the river Rhône, the bridge was rebuilt several times after floods and wars before giving up the battle in the 17th century.

Avignon also has a whole series of museums which between them offer not only a span of art from antiquity to the present but also a chance to go inside some of the city's finest buildings. Medieval and Renaissance Italian and Provençal religious paintings hang in the Gothic Musée du Petit Palais (open Wed-Mon). The Musée Lapidaire (open Wed-Mon) includes the Tarasque de Noves, a statue of the mysterious amphibian beast that once terrorised the region and is housed in a lofty Jesuit chapel on Rue de la République. A fine art collection is displayed in the Musée Calvet (open Wed-Mon). Another mansion holds the Musée Angladon (open Wed-Sun afternoons), a small but choice collection including paintings by Picasso, Van Gogh, Modigliani and Vuillard.

Wow!

Visit the bridge and the Palais des Papes by night in special nocturnal promenades (June, August, and early September), which culminate in a medieval banquet. Reserve on 00 33 4 90 27 50 00.

Top Five

L'EXTRAMUROS (44 Boulevard St-Michel, 00 33 4 32 74 22 22) Just outside the city walls, serving classic French brasserie fare and live jazz.

LA FOURCHETTE (17 Rue Racine, 00 33 4 90 85 20 93) Good-value gastro take on Provençal specialities.

HIELY LUCULLUS (5 Rue de la République, 00 33 4 90 86 17 07) Offers a beautifully prepared blend of modernity and Provençal tradition.

LA MIRANDE (4 Place de la Mirande, 00 33 4 90 14 20 20) A magnificent tapestry-hung dining room and summer terrace are the setting for grand classical cuisine inspired by seasonal local produce.

NUMÉRO 75 (75 Rue Guillaume Puy, 00 33 4 90 27 16 00) Once owned by the Pernod family, now the place for modern Provençal and Med-wide cooking.

For more information and bookings, contact the Avignon tourist office on 00 33 4 32 74 32 74; www.ot-avignon.fr

A meal in Provence

The limestone garrigue assures the plentiful herbs - rosemary, thyme, summer savory, bay and marjoram - that infuse Provençal cooking, along with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes and tangy tapenades and anchoïade. The olive oils of both Aix-en-Provence and Nîmes have been awarded appellation contrôlées, as have the vineyards of the Coteaux d'Aix and Costières de Nîmes.

Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence is Provence at its most urbane and sophisticated with its smart clothes shops and antiques dealers, its golden stone residences and its prestigious summer opera festival. A spa since Roman times, Aix is also renowned for its lively café society (pictured) centred on the broad café-lined Cours Mirabeau, which divides Vieil Aix from the aristocratic 17th-century Quartier Mazarin. Here the venerable Deux Garçons has been the rendez-vous of the glitterati for the past 200 years, with its people-watching terrace and a Consular-period interior. A great place to simply walk around and admire the townhouses with atlante figures and wrought-iron balconies, the ancient cathedral, squares and fountains.

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings see abundant local produce at the outdoor food market which spreads over Place Richelme, Place de la Madeleine and Place des Precheurs. Aix's confectionary speciality is the diamond-shaped calisson d'Aix made of almonds, sugar and preserved melon. They can be found in most bakeries, but some of the best come from Léonard Parli (35 avenue Victor Hugo), where they have been made since 1874. Aix is also the town of Paul Cézanne and his childhood friend Emile Zola, who can be traced in a walking route around the town. The Atelier Cézanne preserves the artist's last studio when he painted many of his famous still lifes and the nearby Montagne Sainte-Victoire.

Nimes

Further west, the Roman city of Nîmes was a military staging post and Roman remains sit with aplomb in the midst of the present city: the perfectly preserved Maison Carré - a 1st-century BC temple - is brilliantly set off by Norman Foster's glass and steel Carré d'Art, the library and art gallery, while the imposing Roman arena is still used for bullfighting and pop concerts. Within the tightly packed old town, medieval buildings and old townhouses contain shops and lively bars, coinciding with a fountain by artist Martial Raysse and the excellent covered food market. Just beyond the Jardin de la Fontaine (pictured) is a fabulous 18th-century formal garden laid out with canals, statues and terraces. Come feria time -- the biggest of these fairs is at Pentecost weekend (14-16 May) -- the streets take on a distinctly Spanish air, as thousands flock to the pavement bodegas and huge vats of sangria. Tapas remains a popular cuisine here year round, along with more native specialities: bull's meat from the Camargue -- chargrilled or stewed in red wine, pigeon, local olive oil, jaw-breaking nutty croquant biscuits from patissier Villaret and Nîmes' signature dish, brandade de morue, salt cod soaked and then pureed with lashings of olive oil and served piping hot. The tourist office publishes a list of restaurants where brandade is served or you can buy jars to take home.

Natasha Edwards

For more information and bookings, contact the Aix-en-Provence tourist office on 00 33 4 42 16 11 61; www.aixenprovencetourism.com, or the Nîmes tourist office on 00 33 4 66 58 38 20; www.ot-nimes.fr

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