Though it is merely the capital of the Vaucluse these days, Avignon’s lively street life, active university, and colorful markets present a year-round spectacle far beyond the thousands of productions on view during the summer's world-renowned Festival d'Avignon . To add to the allure, many of the landmark buildings and churches have been enhanced with new lighting fixtures that literally light up the nights.
To take it all in, travel the city’s steep streets via the tourist train, a type of tram car that resembles a children’s party ride. Le Petit Train d’Avignon leaves from the Popes’ Palace Square daily, March 15 through October 30, every 30 minutes from 10 am to 7 pm (’til 8 pm in July and August) and takes you on a 40-minute ride through the Rocher des Doms gardens, the historic city center, and by major monuments. It costs €8.
As a city, Avignon boasts one of the most fabled and time-stained histories in France. It was transformed into the "Vatican of the north" when political infighting in the Eternal City drove Pope Clement V to accept Philippe the Good’s invitation to start afresh. In 1309 his entourage arrived, preferring digs in nearby priories and châteaux; in 1316 he was replaced by Pope John XXII, who moved into the bishop’s palace (today the Petit Palais). It was his successor Pope Benedict XII who undertook construction of the magnificent palace that was to house a series of popes through the 14th century. During this holy reign Avignon evolved into a sophisticated, cosmopolitan capital, attracting artists and thinkers and stylish hangers-on. As the popes’ wealth and power expanded, so did their formidable palace. And its sumptuous decor was legendary, inspiring horror and disdain from the poet Petrarch, who wrote of "towers both useless and absurd that our pride may mount skyward, whence it is sure to fall in ruins." The abandoned Italians dubbed Avignon a "second Babylon." Additionally, the University of Avignon, which had been founded in 1303, burgeoned as thousands of the faithful from across Europe came to Avignon on pilgrimage.
After a dispute with the king, Pope Gregory XI packed up for Rome in 1376, but Avignon held its ground. While he was on his deathbed in 1378, the French elected their own pope, Clement VII, and the Great Schism divided the Christian world. Popes and antipopes abused, insulted, and excommunicated each other to no avail, though the real object of dispute was the vast power and wealth of the papacy. When the king himself turned on the last antipope, Avignon lost out to Rome and the extravagant court dispersed.