After spending too much time staring at French phrases I decided that Villeneuve-lès-Avignon needed study of a different kind … buildings and views rather than typed pages and online audio. I had been there by car for the Thursday market, but this time I was on my own, and on foot. I have wondered if any parts of the original bridge across the Rhône remained, other than the four spans at the Avignon end and the Tour Philippe-le-Bel at the western end.

The river was wider and shallower when the original bridge was built, now it is two distinct streams, with an island in between, It is on this island that the hotel/restaurant La Ferme is situated, along with many residences, other farms and council facilities such as campgrounds. There is a short piece of road that appears to be on the original alignment, assuming that the original bridge was straight, but very little else remains. I didn’t see it but there is a part of one of the original piers built into a house on the island.

Having crossed over to the ‘mainland’ I made my way to the Tower, to find it closing for lunch. There was an information panel outside, helpfully with an impression of what the orginal bridge had looked like, and noting that some of the rockwork on which the end of the bridge rested had been removed (for a road) only a few decades ago. The last remains of several piers had also been cleared in the fifties, by the authority responsible for hydro power generation on the river.

I walked on into the old village of Villenueve-lès-Avignon, with narrow streets, small squares and all overlooked by Fort Saint-André, a medieval fortress. Some of it is open to visitors and there seems to be quite a bit of restoration work in places. There is a beautiful garden area and restaurant, as well as guided walks and great views.

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One reason that I like narrow twisting streets is that there are few cars using them, except for those of owners nearby.

I visited the church (can’t stay away from them, it’s the stonework and the bells, and if they have one, the organ!)

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On the way to the old part of the town I had passed a sign pointing to the railway station, so naturally I went for a look on my way back. It had an air of disuse about it, although trains do still run; there were extensive railyards but they did not appear to be in use although the overhead was still in place.

Back in the newer part of Villeneuve the traffic was noticable as the road across from Avignon is one of the major roads in the area. I was taken by a set of worn steps near the railway, people have used these steps for a very long time.

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