Tourist information -
Avignon
Avignon is definitely not a town to stay in if
you're interested in sightseeing the surrounding countryside and
don't have much time. Once in Avignon, you won't want to leave,
and the town is too interesting to let you go. Avignon is ancient,
full of history, life, youth, art, music and activity. Just to "see"
the town itself, you could wander the narrow streets inside the
fortified walls for days without tiring of them.
The rock of Avignon seems to have been inhabited since the earliest
times; situated at the junction of the Rhone and the Durance rivers,
its perfect location makes it an ideal city for a natural refuge,
easy to defend and ideal for commercial traffic. Avignon therefore
quickly becomes a prosperous city enjoying certain autonomy. During
the Fourteenth Century, the city belongs to the Count of Provence,
Charles the Second of Anjou, King of Naples and loyal vassal of
the Church of Rome. The Venaissin County located near Avignon has
been, since the Thirteenth Century, a papal property thereby insuring
a stable and peaceful city. At this time in Rome, as rival factions
are tearing each other apart, popes do not have any governing control,
and in Italy, cities and small feudal states are in constant conflicts.
Avignon appears to be the ideal city to welcome the future popes.
7 popes in all will eventually succeed one another in Avignon, making
it the capital of the Christian world.
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