Tarascon, city of Counts and legends in the southern France

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Curious fate to Tarascon, a beautiful village of Provence, about 20 kilometers from Avignon, 25 and 15 from Nimes to Arles, beautifully situated along the banks of the Rhone, with a historical and architectural heritage of excellence, but more known in France the legend of Tarasco and the world for the famous book by Alphonse Daudet "Tartarini Tarascon," which for its artistic beauty.

France is known as the city of 'Accounts and legends ", the most famous of which is the Tarasco, a monster half crocodile and half dragon with wings, who lived in a forest between Tarascon, Arles and Avignon. As in all the legends that you meet this monster ate men, women and children so much that people asked for help in Santa Marta that after the Tarasco sprinkled with blessed water, the led up to the nearest village where he was stoned. This legend is recorded in the month of June each year with a major folk event.

Myths and legends apart, Tarascon is a pleasant town of ancient origins, already inhabited by the Phoenicians and Greeks and later became an important Roman Castrum at Via Domitiana protection and for control of navigation on the Rhône. In the following centuries was a land of all (Visigoths, Burgundians, Franks, Saracens) and so until the Middle Ages when Tarascon had the time of its peak, becoming a very important religious and administrative center of which you can see the splendid historical and artistic.

Our visit started from Tarascon castle, really beautiful, built where there was the old Roman castrum and the local familiarly called "the castle of Roi Renée" by Renato King of Anjou which completed construction in mid-1400. An imposing and beautiful building at the same time, considered one of the finest medieval castles in France. The outside is very austere, in line with the criteria of the defensive, but the interior is much more refined style that most medieval renaissance.

Very beautiful courtyard gallery with sculptures of ornamental and very very pleasant tour of the beautiful hall, the royal chapel and the chapel of the singers, the hall of the king (the magnificent coffered ceiling), the apartment of the king the hall of the Council and audience. Environments very beautiful and charming but, as I have said about the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, are empty desolatamente (with some very beautiful tapestries and a few other exceptions), not as we used to in Italy that even the smallest historic building is a small museum of period furniture.

One last effort to climb the stairs of the Tower dell'Artiglieria and comes out on a panoramic terrace that alone worth a visit: a glance at 360 ° is really cool on the Rhône, on the plain of Tarascon, Arles and towards' Abbey Montmajour, on the heights surrounding the Alpilles and Montagnette and farther towards Mount Ventoux. E 'can visit the castle every day and there are also guided tours at fixed hours, as in our case, it is not always possible to take advantage of time differences. Admission costs 6.00 euros, but worth visiting them all.

Not far away is the beautiful Collegiate of Santa Marta, one of the most beautiful shrines of Provence, with a splendid ancient portal as partly damaged during the French Revolution, built in late 1100 on an old building in which were preserved the relics of Santa Marta. Very charming interior with colonnades and side chapels and exciting tour of the crypt. A curiosity on the bell tower, built at a later time so as not to interfere with its high visibility to the sentinels of the nearby castle.

We continue our walk to the Cloister of Cordelier (Cloître des Cordeliers), which told us very interesting, and the way we meet Laudun Palace, a building of 1600, historical monument since 1940, which used to dwell in the Cardinal Richelieu, when staying at Tarascon . The building was severely damaged by bombing during World War II, but was fully restored.

Soon after we find the Palace of the Mint, a typical house of 1200 in which 1300 to 1500 (about) money was coined by an edict of Charles of Anjou. Palazzo Laudun and the Mint, are the two buildings that I thought to explain, but in the center of Tarascon, interesting buildings there are at least twenty which, however, can be seen only from the outside because they do not visit. Visit is the town hall, a beautiful Renaissance building of the seventeenth century.

The Cloister of Cordelier is indeed very beautiful and goes back to 1550 when Cordelier, a brotherhood of Franciscan Friars, so called because they wore a tunic closed by a drawstring at three knots, I moved, leaving the old convent, which occupied from 1200 so prone to flooding. The building is constructed in a beautiful Renaissance style and is used mainly for shows and exhibitions, it is open only during these events. We were lucky to find it was an ongoing exhibition of painters of Provence.

Not far away is worth a visit Souleado Museum, housed in the sixteenth century mansion Amigny, a kingdom of Provençal fabrics, where you not only know how to manufacture and print, but see many other sights of the local tradition, from valuable work in clay, for furnishing the rooms, to the traditional dress.

Another interesting site, also used as exhibition place is the Chapel of Perseverance (Perséverance de la Chapelle), the only remains of a seventeenth-century building of larger size was used as a women's prison. I have been described in very positive, but there is no current exposure, we have not had a chance to visit the interior.

Returning to the parking lot after the house Tartarini of which I have already spoken, we meet the Convent of the Visitation (Le Couvent de la Visitation), the only religious community today remained in Tarascon, over fifteen of which were before the French Revolution. The complex is in fact very beautiful, but not of particular interest, since it is a building that dates back to 1850, when they are transferred dall'originario convent in 1200.

Around Tarascon are all beautiful, characterized by small green hills of La Montagnette and Alpilles. The Pearl of La Montagnette is undoubtedly the splendid Abbey of St Michel de Frigolet, a monastery founded in 1100 with a Romanesque-style church, beautifully decorated, dedicated to Notre Dame du Bon remède, while the church is dell'Abbazia 1800 . An environment evocative spirituality that bursting from every angle and that is one of the most popular pilgrimage of Provence.

Tarascon is one of the most beautiful areas of Provence, close to places of tourist interest as high as St Remy de Provence, the Pont du Gard and Les Baux de Provence, in the middle of an area bounded from Avignon (TGV and airport), Arles , Nimes (airport and TGV) and Aix en Provence, which is connected by regular bus services and thus easily accessible even by those who no