Holiday Apartments,

rue de la République in the heart of medieval UZES,

Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, FRANCE

View of the Duché from the Artist's apartment window

Uzès, the most beautiful town of its size in France was declared a national treasure in the sixties by André Malraux, then minister of culture. The towers of its duché dominate the skyline. Built from the white limestone on which it stands, it is the perfect place to forget about time, relax, and lose yourself in the maze of little streets full of cafés, restaurants and historic sites, or to walk in the shady river valley to inspect the remains of the Roman aqueduct and the spring which once supplied it.. The market stalls and small shops contain a wide variety of fresh local produce - olives, spices, fish, wine, lavender honey, cheese and fabrics of Provence. There are also three supermarkets nearby.

Uzès is  ideally situated for visiting  Nîmes, Arles, Avignon,  St Remy-de-Provence, the Cévennes and the Camargue.

Uzès hosts an annual Dance Festival in June, 'Les Nuits Musicales' a classical music festival from mid July with concerts in the courtyard of the Duché and in the 17th century cathedral. Even out of season Uzès puts on special events like the Day of the Truffle in January or the Donkey Festival in September. A Pottery Market and an Artists' Market are held in the Spring. During the Fête Votive in August barriers line the boulevards and bulls run the circuit while horsemen attempt to herd them together.

Pronunciation of Uzès! U as in the u of beautiful, zès to rhyme with says

Festival Calendar

http://www.uzes-tourisme.com/sitegb/festivit/festival.htm (click 'home' top left for main Tourist Office page)

Visits and Activities

Next to the cathedral stands the romanesque bell tower, la Tour Fenestrelle with its rows of Pisan style arches. Beyond there is a terrace with a view over the Vallée de l'Eure, a sheer drop down to the river Alzon and the remains of the Roman aqueduct, which took water from the a massive spring, la Source de l'Eure through the hills to Nîmes, crossing the river Gardon by means of the Pont du Gard. The landscape between Uzès and the Cévennes is of rolling hills, vineyards, olive groves and garrigue, - wilderness, covered in dwarf ilex, wild thyme, box and rosemary. There are beautiful walks along the rivers which cut through the hills, where they slice out deep gorges.

There is good river bathing, canoeing, rock climbing and pony trekking. There are many lovely villages nearby, like St Quentin-la-Poterie which lives up to its name or Vézenobre which scrambles up an impossibly steep hillside. There is an open air swimming pool 5 minutes walk from the apartment.

• 10 minutes away: the Roman Pont du Gard - photographs do nothing to prepare you for the scale and grandeur of this 2000 year old feat of engineering
•  30 minutes: Nîmes - the astonishingly preserved Maison Carré (a Roman temple). The Arena - the lanes in the centre of town with their tempting boutiques
•  30 minutes: Avignon - the papal palace, bridge, and famous theatre festival. Orange - the Roman Theatre and Triumphal Arch. Arles - beautiful small city on the banks of the Rhone with a massive Roman arena. and the haunting Alyscamps, a Roman necropolis painted by Van Gogh. Les Baux - fantastic medieval fortress built into the rock on the last outpost of the Alpilles range
•  40 minutes: Anduze, - 'Gateway to the Cévennes', the Bamboo Garden
•  45 minutes: St Remy de Provence - the asylum where Van Gogh lived for a year after cutting off half his ear Ruins of Greco-Roman town of Glanum, Arles
• Beaches 50 minutes: La Grande Motte, Grau-du-Roi, or the vast, remote sandy beach of l'Espiguette  
• 1 hour: Montpellier - Place de la Comédie, l'Antigone Post-Modern architecture by Richard Bofill. - lovely city on a human scale 

 Travel 

*  Car Hire. If you are travelling by plane and require a hire car then French Connections car hire partner Holiday Autos offers savings of up to 30% and a price match guarantee by booking on line. If you are in the UK you can also call 0870 400 0099 and quote 'French Connections'.

*  By car A7 down Rhone valley to A9. Exit A9 at Remoulins signed for Pont du Gard, Uzès and Alès. Follow signs to Uzès.

* Ryanair flies to Nimes and Montpellier.

* Eurostar goes to Avignon without changing on Saturdays during the summer. For dates and availability contact Eurostar direct. Or change at Lille for Avignon or Nimes.