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Avignon is a commune in southern France, located in the Vaucluse département, in the Sud region.
It is bordered to the west by the Rhône River, which marks the boundary with the Gard département and the Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées region, and to the south by the Durance River, which separates the city from the Bouches-du-Rhône département.
Of the commune’s 90,305 inhabitants on January 1, 2013, some 15,000 lived within its walls.
Nicknamed the “City of the Popes” due to the presence of the Popes from 1309 to 1423, it is currently the largest city and prefecture of the Vaucluse département.
It is one of the few French cities to have preserved its entire ramparts and historic center, comprising the Popes’ Palace, the Episcopal complex, the Rocher des Doms and the Pont d’Avignon.
It has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under criteria I, II and IV.
The reputation of its theater festival, a veritable artistic and cultural showcase for the city, has spread far beyond France’s borders.
Avignon was named European Capital of Culture in 2000.
Avignon, city of the popes, has a date with history: must-see monuments, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Provencal heritage, religious buildings, listed buildings, town houses, cardinal’s livery… You’ll be spoilt for choice!
In Avignon and the surrounding area, there’s a lot to see and do: I suggest you visit not only the historic city of the popes (the Popes’ Palace, the Pont Saint-Bénézet internationally famous thanks to the nursery rhyme “Sur le pont d’Avignon”, to name but a few) but also the heart of Provence. We’re just 1h30 from the Camargue and the sea (Grau du Roi, Saintes-Maries de la mer, the Camargue with its pink flamingos and bulls), 30 minutes from the famous Pont du Gard, the Roman arena in Nîmes, the ancient theater in Arles, the lavender fields, the ochre-colored villages of Roussillon, the hilltop villages of the Luberon, such as Gordes.
In addition to sightseeing, you could join me in my gospel and variety choirs on a weekday evening and/or take part in one of my in-home yoga classes. You’ll meet other French people and get the chance to practice with native speakers.
To immerse oneself in the French language is to enter a world where every word carries the weight of history, every conversation reveals a culture, and every day becomes a discovery of the soul. —Maya Angelou