Unusual Avignon

Like a mise en abîme of the Festival d’Avignon’s greatest theatrical moments, Dominique Durant and Marion Pochy’s painted windows are a must-see stroll through the streets of Avignon.Maurice Béjart, the mime Marceau or Bartabas and his equestrian theater evoke the indestructible link between the Festival and the city. Like a tattoo on the city’s skin, the stories of the Prince of Homburg, Scapin, Macbeth, Marianne, Lorenzaccio, Harpagon, Antigone, Hamlet… are forever inscribed on the walls of the Cité du Théâtre. Some fifty windows are waiting to be discovered as you explore the city.

To complete your visit, and if you’ve already seen all the must-see monuments, be curious and don’t hesitate to get lost in the streets and squares of the towns and villages around Avignon! This unusual “little heritage”, which can sometimes be discovered on guided tours, can also be seen on an impromptu stroll through the streets of Villeneuve lez Avignon, which faces the city of the popes on the other side of the Rhône.In “treasure hunt” mode, set off in search of a strange lizard statue in Place Jean-Jaurès, or discoverrue des Ricollets, the site of the highest water levels, testimony to the ravages of the impetuous king’s river before it was domesticated by man. On the plains of the Abbaye, or in Rochefort du Gard, discover the statues and ex-votos that line the Way of the Cross, transporting you back to another century. In Roquemaure, admire the relics of Saint-Valentin in the village collegiate church. Every odd-numbered year on Valentine’s Day weekend, this treasure trove is the setting for a costumed re-enactment of the legend of the patron saint of lovers.