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Avignon

Attention, quiz fans: name the city where the pope lived during the early 14th century. Answered Rome? Bzzz: sorry, wrong answer. For 70-odd years of the early 1300s, the Provençal town of Avignon was the centre of the Roman Catholic world, and though its stint as the seat of papal power only lasted a few decades, it's been left with an impressive legacy of ecclesiastical architecture, most notably the soaring, World Heritage–listed fortress-cum-palace known as the Palais des Papes.

Arch bridge over river at sunset, Avignon, France

©stephane_rouen/500px

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Best Things to Do

Set beside the Rhône, Avignon is famed for its medieval architecture, papal history and annual arts festival. Here are the top things to do in Avignon.

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