Avignon. Power, fairy tales, marzipan

Avignon. The name itself evokes incense, intrigue, and a bridge that the Rhône River eventually stopped caring about.

The popes resided here from 1307 to 1378—Rome was too dangerous for them. Afterward, chaos ensued: two, sometimes three popes, each excommunicating each other, until the Council of Constance swept the chessboard off the table in 1419.

The Papal Palace? Not a palace, but a bastion. Spirituality was decoration, power the main thing.

And the bridge? Originally completed, then repeatedly torn apart by floods. Far too narrow for carts, but perfect for horsemen and cardinals who preferred to live beyond the stinking city. In the center is the Chapel of Saint Bénézet – a shepherd boy with a vision, a legend with a happy ending.

Finally, the sweets: calissons, candied fruit, nougat. Avignon's answer to all the intrigue – sugar as a consolation.

Avignon is theater: power, fairy tales, marzipan. And damn photogenic.