One city, five possibilities: Narbonne

In Narbonne, we are “expanded” ! From afar, you can recognize the former Roman capital by the spiers of its Gothic cathedral. Closer up, it is a patchwork of styles and eras, which can be found even on the walls of listed buildings, made up in particular of ancient stones, and on the colorful facades of houses evoking Tuscany. The recent opening of the Narbo Via Museum highlights the Roman history of this Mediterranean city.

Markets for banter and feasting

In Narbonne, all roads lead to the halls. It is under the Baltard-style pavilion that the Narbonnais meet at the end of the week. “When we receive family, we bring them to the halls. It’s a place where you come as much to show off as to buy your olive oil and taste the oysters from the pond.”, says Stéphane Romain, loyal gourmet and promotion officer for the association of Les Halles merchants. Inaugurated in 1901, rectangular in shape and surmounted by a skylight, they are the legacy of industrial architecture. The small carved castle at the top of the pediment of the main door recalls the location of the old medieval fortifications and the bunches of grapes, the wine economy. For lunch, you can cook the fresh fish that you have just bought at the Counter of the halls or let yourself be seduced, At Bebelle, by the banter of the Belzons family. It is here that Gilles Belzons, known as Bebelle, or Paul, his son, catch the packaged meat they have just ordered with their megaphones from neighboring butchers. An attraction that does not lack flavor on the plate.

Head in the arch

Narbonne can be visited with your head in the air, as you wander around. To see the different layers of its history, we start with the Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville. In the center, part of the Via Domitia, discovered in 1997, was exhumed. This military route linked Italy to Spain in the II^e century BC. The black cobblestones bear witness to the Roman era and remind us that the city was designed as a little Rome. ” Under Augustus, Narbonne had 35,000 inhabitants., explains the organizer of architecture and heritage Mireille Franc. The face-to-face between the Palace-Museum of the Archbishops and the Dames de France building is just as revealing. On one side, the neo-Gothic façade of the Palais Neuf with the Saint-Just-et-Saint-Pasteur cathedral in the background; on the other, the Haussmann-style department store. A few steps away, the Pont des Marchands, one of the few bridges in France to be inhabited. To admire its colorful facades, head to the old river port where boats once docked, now converted into a promenade. It is here that we “make the boats” in the local jargon: let’s meet for a drink and a chat!

Diving in Roman times

the Narbo Via Museum, designed by the English agency Foster + Partners, revives the Roman city of Narbo Martius. A daring museum a few steps from the historic center. The visit begins with the incredible “lapidary wall”, a collection of 760 funerary blocks gathered in a shelving 76 meters long and 10 meters high. The blocks displayed in this giant storage rack constitute an open reserve, and a digital device restores the history of each block – stunning. Just like the visit of the rooms dedicated to the history of the city built in 118 BC. J.-C., which became the capital of Narbonne Gaul and a major merchant port. Along the way, we dive deeper into the life of the city and its illustrious past. The immersive exhibition “Narbo Martius, rebirth of a capital” completes this journey through time with a 3D reconstruction of the ancient city.

Kitesurfing and trip to the Nautiquards

After visiting the museum, we continue the adventure to Port-la-Nautique, built on the remains of the Roman port. In the past, goods were transported there, from the sea to the landing stage. The pond was then a vast gulf open to the Mediterranean. Today, this district of Narbonne, which can be reached by bike, has become a marina and a spot kitesurfing and windsurfing. It is also the Nautiquards district, named after its only street and its inhabitants. An unlikely place. From the terrace of La Nautique bistro, the former pool house of boat owners, you can see the fishing village of Bages and, in good weather, the Canigou massif. It is one of the (most confidential) meetings of the Narbonnais, who come for a walk in its landscapes of wild reeds. We end this route with a stop at Notre-Dame du Quatourze castle, the estate of the Ortola family. Their wines, like the history of this family of winegrowers, are an invitation to travel and daydream.

The Canal de la Robine by bicycle

If you have to choose a bike ride from the historic center of Narbonne, the most unique is the one that runs along the Robine canal to the port of Somail. Thirty kilometers round trip that can be covered by electric bike. The canal, whose name comes from Occitan rubin (“canal”), borrows part of the old bed of the Aude that the Romans traveled by boat to reach the Mediterranean. It connects Narbonne and the Canal du Midi, to the north, to the island of Saint Lucia, to the south. Starting from the heart of the city, we start by driving near the fields of wheat and poppies along the Robine, before joining the Jonction canal and the port of Somail. A hamlet where it is delicious to have lunch at the Comptoir Nature, a restaurant by the water, before pushing the door of the find all book, a bookstore run since 1980 by the Gourgues family. About 80,000 books on the shelves, and as many in reserve! Remember to equip your bike with a large basket, you will need it for the return…

Our journalist produced his report with the help ofCôte du Midi tourist office.