Vienne, city of art and history

Near lyon, along the rhône river, vienne, a heritage city to discover around wines (côte-rôtie and condrieu), gastronomy (restaurant f. point), history (gallo-roman town), country (pilat park) and music (jazz a vienne festival).

Vienne, gallo-roman town  Walking tour in the earth of the gallo-roman town and its monuments :  Temple of Augustus and Livia - The temple of Augustus and Livia was built under the reign of Emperor Augustus and was used for imperial worship in the Gallo-Roman town.  Ancien theatre - The ancient Roman theatre, built at the foot of Mont Pipet, is one of the largest in Gaul. For the last 20 years it has been used every summer for the Vienne Jazz Festival.

From the rhone river to wines  Morning : guided river cruises on the Rhône. Sails on the river.  Afternoon : Climb up the steep hills from Ampuis (the capital of Côte-Rôtie wine). Visit of cellars and wine tasting.

Balmes viennoises  Leaving from Villette-of-Vienna, you will saunter on the small roads of the village and you will go along innumerable orchards.  Pear brandy tasting at the Maison Colombier.  Then you will be again on a short cut which curves in the middle of vast fields of corn, colza or sunflower.  Drown in a sea of greenery, an alternative will be offered then to you: to return on Villette-of-Vienna guided by the course of a brook curving in the forest or to continue the adventure and you will take the road towards the vault of Illins. After pasing by the hamlet, you will be able to contemplate the castle of Illins who was built in the year 316! Today, it is a private building which does not have the aspect any more of what it had seventeen centuries before, but it will make you understand the power of the Country of Vienna and Dauphiné in those times.

A day to discover  In the morning you'll go visit the market. The large market is spread out over 2.6 km. You can find there: fresh fruits and vegetables,poultry, pork-butchery, fish, products of the soil, plants, flowers...A broad choice of manufactured goods is proposed to you: clothing,leather working, linen... Various articles of small tools,bazaar...  In the afternoon, visit of the Museum of drapery. This museum recalls the history of textile industry, dominant activity in Vienna during more than two centuries: presentation of the cycle of production, animated model and machines in activity, more than one century of fabric samples coming from large Viennese factories.

The st romain-en-gal museum  The archeological site of Saint-Romain-en-Gal constitutes, with that of Fourvière, the greatest site devoted to the Graeco-Roman civilization in France. The museum is located at the heart of a vast cultural park of 7 hectares, which revives this residential district of Vienna at the time Gallo-Roman: thermal baths, workshops, dwellings, shops updated since 1967. The museum is organized around four spaces: history of ancient Vienna, economy and the craft industry, mosaic and everyday life in the Roman house. The workshop of restoration in charge of the conservation of the mosaics is recognized today at the international level for the quality of its work.

Château de septème  Its name refers to the seventh milestone on the Roman road that used to link Vienne to Bourgoin.  This former fortified town strikes an impressive pose with its 13th-century ramparts, old fort and chateau.

A last glance on the city  Visit of:  The Pyramide - This monument which rises at more than 20 meters height, was drawn up in the central place of the circus (place reserved for the races) as the obelisks which one finds in other comparable circuses of the Roman world.  The St. Maurice Cathedral - The most important cathedral of the South-east and most prestigious of Dauphiné. Built at the end of the XIth century, it presents the remarkable harmony of a Roman building included in a Gothic cathedral.