Page 486 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

Pyramid-style buildings
beside the popular marina
at La Grande Motte
sunbelt, but its zenith was in
the 13th and 14th centuries
under the kings of Majorca
EXPERIENCE Languedoc and Roussillon 19 Gardoise. Now marooned France. Their vast Palais des
and Aragón, who controlled
great swathes of what is now
northern Spain and southern
Rois de Majorque still spans
much of the southern part of
the city. One of the finest
buildings, the Loge de Mer at
the head of the square, was
built in 1397 to house the
Maritime Exchange; the
5 km (3 miles) from the sea,
La Grande-Motte
the imposing def ences of this
once­important port have
original Gothic design. The
! E6 ⌂ Hérault @
rest was rebuilt in Renaissance
become a popular sight with
n 55 rue du Port; www.
style in 1540. It remains the
visitors. Aigues­Mortes (“Place
lagrandemotte.com
hub of Perpignan life, amid
of Dead Waters”) was estab­ eastern section keeps to the
The bizarre white ziggurats lished by Louis XI in the 13th elegant cafés with a constant
of this marina, one of several century to consolidate his buzz of activity.
on the lagoons south of Mont­ power on the Mediterranean, Next door is the Hôtel de
pellier, exemplify the develop­ and built according to a strict Ville; sections of its arcaded
ment of the south west coast. grid pattern. courtyard date back to 1315,
Every kind of sport is available, To the northeast St­Gilles­ and at its centre is Aristide
from tennis and golf to water du­Gard, also once an impor­ Maillol’s allegorical sculpture,
sports. To the east lie Le Grau­ tant medieval port, is worth The Mediterranean (1950).
du­Roi, once a tiny fishing a detour to see the superbly To the east, the laby rinthine
village, and Port­Camargue, sculpted 12th­century façade cathedral quarter of St­Jean
with its expansive marina. of its abbey church. Originally contains fine 14th­ and 15th­
established by the monks of century buildings. Topped by
Cluny abbey as a shrine to a fine wrought­iron belfry, the
20 St Gilles, it was a resting place Cathédrale St-Jean was built
from 1324 to 1509, mostly
on the route to Santiago
Aigues-Mortes de Compostela (p406). from river pebbles layered
with red brick. In the gloomy
! E6 ⌂ Gard £ @ n Pl St
Louis; www.ot-aigues
mortes.fr 21
The best approach to this Perpignan
perfectly preserved walled ! D7–E7 ⌂ Pyrénées-
town is across the salt Orientales k £ @ n Place
marshes of the Camargue
de la Loge; www.perpignan
tourisme.com
GREAT VIEW Catalan Perpignan has a
Pont du Gard distinctly southern feel, with
For the best view in palm trees lining place Arago,
Aigues-Mortes, climb up house and shop façades
the spectacular Tour de painted vibrant turquoise and
Constance, an impres- pink, and the streets of the
sive tower erected in Arab quarter selling aromatic
1242 by Louis IX. From spices, cous cous and paella.
atop its walls you can Today, it is the vibrant capital
enjoy splendid views of Pyrénées­Orientales, with
over the Camargue. an important position on the
developing Mediter ranean
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