20 | EXPLORING VIENNE


‘LITTLE ROME’ IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE


The south of France has always attracted tourists to its well-known haunts. But Paul Clements has been exploring a small historic town that most visitors have never heard of which features a mix of history, elegant buildings, cultural heritage, wine and exceptional jazz.


BY PAUL CLEMENTS


IN a southern corner of France, the small town of Vienne in the Auvergne-Rhone Alps region, is a lesser-known place but is where the ancient and modern cradle each other, creating somewhere uniquely French. Vienne has a reputation as being the oldest town in France. It is 32km. south of Lyon and if you spend a few days there it is not hard to see why it is awash with antiquity, a place where the past is palpable.


On arrival at Vienne railway station, visitors pass a gigantic sepia mural paying tribute to the soldiers from the town who died in World War I. The painting shows a train filled with men preparing to leave for war in 1914. They are waving flags and crowded into doors in brown uniforms with caps. Beside the mural are the names of the 763 men who did not return.


In a wander around town, vestiges of


10 BC, making it over 2,000 years old. The Forum was restored in the 19th century and is in remarkable condition given its age. It is one of only two Roman temples remaining in France and has been brought back to its original appearance.


Vienne was once an established textile


and leatherworking centre with diversified industries and nowadays is a marketplace for trading. On Saturday mornings the town hosts a huge market, said to be the second largest in France, with up to 300 stalls around Cours Romestang, the main drag, and neighbouring streets. Take your pick from a vast range of vegetables, cheeses, olives, spices, clothes, pottery and much more.


For the rest of the week the main


streets are awash with cafes, patisseries and boulangeries, and it is an extremely pleasant town to explore. The quintessential core aspect of life associated with most French towns – Le bar-tabac – a café where locals enjoy a drink and a chat, buy cigarettes or try their luck in the national lottery is part of street life.


However, reminders of its history are around every corner. At one end of town, stands the majestic Vienne Cathedral, a medieval


Catholic


1840 has been a French national heritage site. In the first century of the Classical Era, Pliny the Elder noted that the Gauls around Vienne were producing excellent


Roman history survive and Vienne boasts ancient buildings as well as museums reflecting a variety of


periods of history. At


least 40 of its monuments are listed, including the landmark La Pyramide, which rests on a portico and is all that remains of a huge hippodrome that was the venue of chariot races which were pulled by horses and hosted 15,000 spectators.


the old


In the central streets and the new rub


shoulders with the red-tiled roofline alongside ancient churches. The Temple of Augustus and Livia with its portico and six Corinthian columns is the star attraction. It was built between 20 BC and


red wine and that tradition of wine making continues. In the third decade of the 21st century the area still manages to produce some bold red wines of distinctive quality using different grape varieties, notably Grenache and Syrah. Côte-Rôtie, made primarily with Syrah grape, is


a prestigious northern Rhone appellation. It is renowned as one of the most seductive wines in the world, while the most illustrious wine of the southern Rhone is Chateauneuf-du-Pape,


a


premium wine from the Avignon region as well as a personal favourite Côtes-du Rhône. In the tourist office a dizzying wine wall stretching from floor to ceiling over 10 metres high displays 800 bottles, providing


church


dedicated to Saint Maurice. The present building was erected from 1130 onwards,


and since


crossing of strategic importance. The area is a standard-issue slice of the Rhone Valley countryside,


of manicured slopes,


an insight into the area’s viniculture from each cuvée or batch. Vienne is surrounded by hills. The River Rhone which runs alongside it, is known as ‘The River of Angels’ and was a


well as internationally known groups such as The Fearless Flyers, Groundation and the Kyoto Jazz Massive. The unique acoustics and historic location make it an exceptional venue for audiences and performers. The event reflects the town itself, blending the old with the new and is an authentic musical fusion. This year, the 45th festival will continue to attract jazz aficionados from all parts of Europe and the U.S. Reduced ticket prices for concerts are available on the day of the event for 45-25-year-olds. The income from the festival also helps to ensure the preservation of the Roman Théôtre.


It is fascinating to turn the clock back


to the era when jazz originated in the United States 100 years ago. In the summer of 1926, the noted Austrian-Jewish writer and journalist Jospeh Roth visited Vienne several times but found little to report. His essay for the German newspaper ‘Frankfurter Zeitung’ was entitled ‘Nothing Going On – In Vienne’, and he began in declarative fashion stating: ‘There is nothing to be said about this town. Nothing happens any more. Everything has already happened. It’s a town of great uneventfulness. A final peace sleeps in the streets, from which nothing more will be produced.’


One wonders if Roth returned to Vienne this summer how surprised he would be by


peppered with vineyards limestone


outcroppings and villages linking the river to the west with the Alpine foothills in the east. Walk across the footbridge to the right bank of the Rhone and you come to the Gallo-Roman museum with the archaeological ruins


Saint-Romain-en- Gal where the remains of a neighbourhood date back 2,000 years. The permanent exhibition building is designed over a Roman house on


of


stilts and excellent guided tours of the site are available from knowledgeable staff. Vienne does not entirely live in the


glory of its past and the modern town is far from being unsung; in fact, it is the opposite, especially when the summer jazz festival is in full melodious flow. Since 1981 the festival has featured many giants of the jazz world. A roll call of previous performers includes Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespite and the legendary Herbie Hancock who has performed more than a dozen times. Festivalgoers flock to four distinct stages, although the main


the crowds turning up to sample the jazz on offer and soaking up the atmosphere of this historic location. There are many itinerary staples in the south of France, such as Nice, Toulouse, Lyon and Montpelier, but Vienne is much more of a secret. If you wish to discover historical stories along with the bonus of excellent jazz, then this town should be on your list. Linger longer and you will realise that Vienne is different to elsewhere.


Factbox


Direct flights to Lyon are from Dublin with Aer Lingus from €120 return, depending on time of aerlingus.com


travel www.


Regular regional trains link Lyon with Vienne, a 25-minute journey from Lyon-


Perrache stations.


The Grand Hotel de la Poste Vienne is a delightful 18th century coaching inn based in the centre of town, a two- minute walk from Vienne train station. Double rooms from €90, grandhoteldelapostvienne


www.


Gallo-Roman Museum with the Saint- Romain-en-Gal archaeological site, www.musee-site.rhone.fr Jazz à Vienne Festival 2026, from 25 June to 11 July, www.jazzvienne.com Tourist Office, Cours Brillier, 28299, Vienne, www.vienne-condrieu.com


or Lyon-Part-Dieu


March 2026


concert venue is the restored and atmospheric Roman Théôtre Antique, originally built between 40 and 50 AD and reconstructed in a semi-circle of terraces on Pipit Hill in the 1930s.


The festival, which has reached worldwide


fame in the jazz music scene, is spread over 17 days from the end of June to mid-July when upwards of 180,000 people converge on the town, multiplying its population by six. This year’s line-up includes Terence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane, Erik Truffaz, Jon Batiste, as


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