Avignon, dominated by the imposing 14th-century Gothic fortress of the Palais des Papes and the adjacent golden-statue-topped Notre-Dame des Doms Cathedral next to it, is best known to the world at large for its bridge: The ditty “Sur le Pont d’Avignon,” which will inevitably run through your head the whole time you are there, is still taught to schoolchildren everywhere. But this bijou of a small city (self-contained within its still-standing walls, it is a harmonious symphony in white stone) has many other hidden treasures to offer as you sift through its layers of history.

The 12th-century bridge, Saint Bénezet, rebuilt many times over the centuries, is still there, or at least part of it – the rest crumbled into the Rhône in the 17th century. For a price, visitors can stroll out to its truncated end and peek into its tiny part-Romanesque, part-Gothic chapel. That and a visit to the Palais des Papes, with its marvelous frescoes, are de rigueur for a first-time visitor.

Those who want to see what went on behind the scenes in the palace, built by Pope Benoît XII and his successor Clément VI between 1334 and 1363, can sign up for “Palais Secret,” a visit that includes a guided tour of the palace’s hidden chambers and passageways, ending with a brunch and tasting of Côtes du Rhône wines.

The city merits more than a one-day visit to these two tourist-filled highlights, however. Those who go beyond the central square in front of the palace and the café- and restaurant-filled Place de l’Horloge to explore its narrow, crooked back streets will be rewarded by a surprise around every corner: a Gothic church, a Baroque church, a chapel next to a church, a picturesque bell tower of yet another once-mighty church (Avignon must have more churches per capita than any city outside Italy), a convent, a stately mansion with a courtyard restaurant, a tree-lined canal with a wooden paddle wheel (Rue des Teinturiers), a charming little square with a café terrace, and so on.

In July, the entire city is taken over by the Festival d’Avignon theater festival and its competitor, the Avignon Festival Off, with plays being staged in every nook and cranny, from the courtyard of the Palais des Papes to street corners. Theater lovers with good French should book well in advance for the event; all others would do well to avoid the city during this month.

Those who have a car should drive across the Rhône to visit the cypress-studded Italian garden of the Abbaye Saint-André in Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, which offers spectacular views of the river valley and Avignon.

Museum-hopping
Avignon also has a surprising number of museums, each with something different to offer. The often-ignored Musée du Petit Palais houses Gian Pietro Campana’s rich collection of Italian paintings from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, including a stunning “Virgin and Child” by Botticelli.

The Musée Calvet, housed in an 18th-century mansion, is currently showing 80 paintings from its collection of Northern Old Masters, including a stunning portrait of a young man attributed to Jacob Van Oost the Elder. The museum’s eclectic collection also includes a number of paintings by 17th-century French painters Nicolas and Pierre Mignard and, among the 20th-century works, a few notable canvases by Chaim Soutine. The Musée Calvet’s archaeological collection is shown in the Musée Lapidaire in a Baroque chapel on the Rue de la République.

Yet another 18th-century town house is home to the Fondation Angladon-Dubrujeaud, where visitors are treated to a few gems of 19th- and 20th-century painting collected by fashion designer Jacques Doucet (1853-1929), including works by Degas, Sisley, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Modigliani and Foujita.

One of the city’s most stunning museums focuses on the present rather than the past. The Collection Lambert, housed in the beautifully restored 18th-century Hôtel de Caumont, presents rotating shows of works from gallery owner Yvon Lambert’s splendid collection of contemporary art. The museum will be closed until July 8, when a new show featuring images of actors will open in time for the theater festival.

Eating out
Avoid the Place de l’Horloge at mealtimes and seek out one of the city’s more sophisticated restaurants, many of which are blessed with peaceful courtyards. Our most enjoyable dining experience was lunch in the lovely courtyard of the Compagnie des Comptoirs, one of the restaurants owned by celebrity sibling chefs Jacques and Laurent Pourcel, set in a former Benedictine convent. The waiter cheerfully hopped over the cross-shaped fountain that fills the space to bring us a fine free-range chicken served with a deliciously rich and crunchy fried risotto pancake, and perfectly cooked sea bass with “légumes oubliés” (rutabagas and Jerusalem artichokes), followed by a refreshing assortment of four fresh-fruit sorbets served with madeleines and shelled pistachios.

Le Vernet provided another pleasant dining experience in its courtyard shaded by palm, chestnut, plane and cypress trees. The restaurant offers such local specialties as a sardine tart, Provencal-style mussels and angolade, a rich, flavorful lamb stew with apples, carrots and mushrooms. The delicious dark chocolate tart served for dessert was accompanied by an unnecessary (calorie-wise) but fabulous iced “cappuccino” with a lid of rich chocolate. This restaurant’s family-style atmosphere makes everyone feel at home.

La Cour du Louvre has a covered courtyard, but we ate in the dining room filled with little lamps, photos of movie stars, and a Botero painting. The rather fussy decor was echoed in one dish that tried too hard, a too-rich starter of scallops and mushrooms on puff pastry, which was overloaded with a cheesy béchamel sauce. Other dishes, like the beef with pleurotes (oyster mushrooms), and the rabbit tajine (a North African stew) with a tomato sauce and pine nuts, hit just the right note. The service was friendly but overtaxed.

Piedoie has no courtyard but is well worth a meal in its small, calm dining room for the high quality of the food. The restaurant is known for it pigeon pastilla (a sort of turnover) with foie gras, but each dish is made with seasonal ingredients and prepared with great care.

At the much-touted restaurant of the Mirande Hotel, the setting was elegance itself and the service was adorable, but the food was a disappointment. The côte de veau we shared was so tough that our tired jaws gave up on the job of chewing it. That may have been a one-shot problem, but the other dishes, while well-prepared, were uninspired and did not merit the exaggerated prices.

Shopping
We won’t go into shopping here, but rest assured that Avignon offers a wide range of boutiques, from the luxury of Hermès to the chain stores found in every French city. We will mention only one shop for its special merit: Sur les Traces d’un Nomade, where young designer Eric Deveaux sits at his work table in a small boutique creating stylish, wearable pieces for both men and women. Any model can be made to measure.

Heidi Ellison

Avignon Festival Off: July 6-30, 2006. www.avignon-off.org

Avignon Tourism Office: 41, cours Jean Juarès, 84004 Avignon. Tel.: 04 32 74 32 74. Open April- October, Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. in July), Sunday and public holidays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; November-March, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday and public holidays, 10 a.m.-noon. Closed January 1 and December 25. www.ot-avignon.fr

Abbaye Saint-André: Villeneuve-lez-Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 25 55 95. Garden open 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.-5 p.m. (until 6 p.m. in summer). Closed Mondays.

Collection Lambert en Avignon/Musée d’Art Contemporain: 5, rue Violette, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 16 56 20. Open September-June, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; July-August, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Closed Mondays and between June 5 and July 8. Admission: €5.50. www.collectionlambert.com

Festival d’Avignon: July 6-27, 2006. www.festival-avignon.com/

La Cour du Louvre: 23, rue Saint-Agricol, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 27 12 66. A la carte: around €35 (without wine).

La Mirande: 4, place de l’Amirande, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 85 93 93. A la carte: around €110 (three courses without wine). Fixed-price menus: €33 (lunch only) and €105 (tasting menu). www.la-mirande.fr/

Le Vernet: 58, rue Joseph Vernet, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 86 64 53. Open daily for lunch and dinner. A la carte: around €35 (without wine). www.levernet.fr

Musée Angladon Dubrujeaud: 5, rue Laboureur, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 82 29 03. Open 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (7 p.m. in summer). Closed Mondays. Admission: €6. www.angladon.com

Musée Calvet: 65, rue Joseph Vernet, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 86 33 84. Open 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Closed Tuesdays, January 1, May 1, December 25. Admission: €6. fondation-calvet.org/

Musée du Petit Palais: Palais des Archevêques, Place du Palais des Papes, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 86 44 58. Open October-May, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m.; June-September, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Closed Tuesdays, January 1, May 1, July 14, November 1 and December 25.

Musée Lapidaire: 27, rue de la République, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 86 33 84. Open 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Closed Tuesdays, January 1, May 1, December 25. Admission: €2. fondation-calvet.org/

Palais des Papes: Place du Palais des Papes, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 27 50 00. Open daily April-June, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; July, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; August-September, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; October, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; November-March, 9:30 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Admission: €9.50 (€11.50 includes admission to Pont Saint Bénezet). Reservation required for “Palais Secret” visit and brunch. www.avignon-tourisme.com or www.palais-des-papes.com

Piedoie: 26, rue des Trois-Faucons, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 86 51 53. Closed Mondays and Wednesdays. Fixed-price menus: €18 (lunch only) to €52.

Pont Saint Bénezet: Tel.: 04 90 27 51 16. Open April-June, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; July, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; August-September, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; October, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; November-March, 9:30 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Admission: €3 (€11.50 includes admission to Palais des Papes). www.palais-des-papes.com

Sur les Traces d’un Nomade: 7, place des Corps Saints, 84000 Avignon. Tel.: 04 90 86 57 32.

© 2006 Paris Update