Pezenas' sights, an abbey, and sleepy towns

When we first visited Pezenas in September, 2018 http://herewegoagain-france2018.blogspot.com/2018/09/cars-planes-and-trains.html we did not spend much time in the town itself during the day. We drove away each morning and came back to quiet, sleepy streets. But I loved it and decided we could live there (#TheDream) one day. Husband indulges my fancies.

This time, our first day was for Pezenas' sights. We slept pretty well, although we were woken early by the street sweepers, with no residual jet lag. Husband procured breakfast pastries and groceries. We got ready and headed out to see this 2* town, following the Michelin Green Guide's tour.

Rue Joseph Cambon, right outside our door, left

Further down on rue Joseph Cambon

Pezenas is close to the Mediterranean

Cool bike!

Pezenas is famous for Moliere (1622-1673) and there's a museum dedicated to his life. He brought his theatre here in 1650 and was awarded a lofty title "Actor to His Supreme Highness the Prince of Conti" in 1653. Pezenas was the Versailles (or royal court) of the Languedoc ruled by the Prince of Conti.

Pezenas' population is around 9,000. The old town dates from the 1200s and is a protected historical monument.  It has pretty old mansions (Hôtels), a charming squares, cute stores, plenty of eateries, and is close to many great sights in the Languedoc-Roussillon.

First stop was Hôtel Lacoste, belonging to the Montegut family. It was remodeled between 1509-1518! The staircase is cool, as are the cute shops on the ground floor. We perused the interesting pictures in the gallery.

Hôtel Lacoste

Hôtel Lacoste

Hôtel Lacoste

Hôtel Lacoste

Gallery in Hôtel Lacoste

Gallery in Hôtel Lacoste

Gallery in Hôtel Lacoste

Next up was Place Gambetta, the village square. It's cobbled and traffic free. Has a Tourist Information, several restaurants, and the 18C facade of the Consular House conceals the 15C building. 

Consular House

I love blue and it is a prominent color in Pezenas! We kept following the walking tour in the book, which took us down cute streets where I took lots of pictures of pretty doors. 

19C St. Roch statue

The locals were busy stringing these cute whirlybirds. One older lady was directing the work from her 1st floor apartment window. 

After our walk, we grabbed sandwiches at the boulangerie, ate them at their sidewalk tables, then headed out to Chateau-Abbaye Cassan, which opened at 2pm. It was just a few minutes drive from Pezenas and we were the only ones there! https://chateau-cassan.com/en/

After paying our entry fee, and getting a map that gave us discounts at other area attractions, we took the very comprehensive English guide and toured the Chateau. 

The Augustinian Abbey was founded in 1080, became a Romanesque church and basilica in 1115. It was owned by the canons who added a palace in the 18C. It was, at one time, the largest castle in Languedoc. It's been classified as a Historical Monument and since 2002, has been open for social and cultural use.

The Yellow Room was very pretty. It is dedicated to the Prince of Conti's mistress, Madame de Brimont. He secretly bought the Chateau for her in 1791. She lived there for years then her daughters looked after the estate in the beginning of the 19C. 

There's an artist in residence

They've uncovered original frescoes

There is a.lot to do and see in this area

View from up the road. It's impressive and worth the visit.

Our next "stop" was the town of Margon. I knew the castle was closed but it was close and I thought we might catch a glimpse of it and its gardens. No dice. The best view we got was from a public parking. 

 http://www.chateaudemargon.com/

Our next stop was Roujan. I've (occasionally/uhm, often) perused real estate listings for an apartment in Pezenas and this town has loads of affordable listings. So I wanted to see if it could be a option. Bottom line: nope. It was not very charming nor did it have a true "Centreville." But we did appreciate the friendly Tabac who helped us find and buy "un disc de parking," our drinks and car watching on the sidewalk, and quick walk about the town.

Roujan city hall

Biere and rose in Roujan

I love a blue door like this super saturated one!

Next up was the cute town of Caux. It does not make the Michelin Guide but was really cute. It was super sleepy, nothing was open, and the locals looked at us like we were crazy as we walked around. They do have some sort of historical walk but we did not see a tourist information to get the details. We enjoyed our quick wander. 

Notice the pretty Romanesque window

Romanesque window

Sleepy kitty in a sleepy town

Signs were in 4 languages

Back in Pezenas, we checked out Le Pre St. Jean, which is mentioned in the Michelin Guide, for dinner. They never set up their tables outside so we passed. 

Our rental was very cool. (What, that's not a Ford Puma, you say? ;)

Iconic 2CV

Pezenas' main drag was looking pretty in the afternoon sun. 

The installation of the whirlybirds was complete.

Husband could not decide where he wanted to stop for a drink. "There ain't no place to drink in Pezenas!" :0) 

After wandering for a bit, we decided on pizza for dinner and L'Authentique was open, had good reviews on google, and had outdoor seating. We walked over there. The owner was very nice. He explained that it's only takeout currently but we could sit on their little terrace, which we did, with our biere and rose (delicious even served in a paper cup) and tasty pizza, watching the people and cars parade. 

We headed back to the apartment but it was too pretty an evening to stay in.

View from the apartment -right

The sun was setting prettily over Collegiale St.-Jean

We wandered into Moliere Square (the free parking is close-by).

Then headed over a pedestrian bridge to Garriagae Distillerie de Pezenas, a hotel in a former distillery. It looked nice.  So we decided to have a drink on the patio overlooking the pool.

A slow walk back to the apartment for the night capped our lovely day!