Avignon: Rue des Teinturiers, France
The rue des Teinturiers (Street of the Dyers) is one of the prettiest, historic and fashionable places in Avignon, full of climatic shops, cafes and restaurants as well as historical buildings. Not all tourists seem to have any idea of its existence. This place is really worth seeing, and certainly when you return to Avignon next time you will also not forget to visit this street.
How to get there
The beginning of the street is located approx. 600 m from the center of the city (10-minutes' walk). If you start from the intersection of Rue de la République and Rue Favrat (A; GPS: 43.948714, 4.805955) you should walk the Place du Changé, and then straight Rue Rougue and Rue Bonneterie. After a few minutes you will reach the intersection Rue Bonneterie and Rue des Lices, where the rue des Teinturiers (B; GPS: 43.946034, 4.811912) begins. It ends at the walls surrounding the old town (G; 43.945047, 4.815636).
Church of the Cordeliers
At the intersection, you can see the Church of the Cordeliers (C; 43.945746, 4.812011), in which Petrarch's Laura was allegedly interred in 1348. We go down the street. Along the street, you can see interesting carved stone benches, all different.
Nice bars and cafes
There are lots of lovely little bars and cafes where you can have a cold drink or a yummy meal by the river, just under the trees. We very liked the "Cave des Pas Sages" (D; GPS: 43.945217, 4.812938), where they serve a really great coffee.
Interesting buildings
Strolling the street we can see the Chapel of the Grey Penitents (C; GPS: 43.945473, 4.812768) on the right. This chapel has various architectural elements dating between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.
One of the interesting buildings is the house of Jean-Henri Fabre (E; GPS: 43.944945, 4.813141) - French naturalist primarily engaged in entomology and also the writer and poet.
Another interesting building is the "Maison du IV de Chiffre" ("House of Figure IV") (F; GPS: 43.944995, 4.813879). It is one of Avignon's oldest buildings - constructed in 1493. The "Figure IV" carved between the three windows of the first floor remains still a mystery as to its meaning.
Water wheels
Numerous water wheels sitting over the Sorgue river were used to provide energy for mills and spinning machines for silk production. The rue des Teinturiers houses nowadays four of the original number of 23 water wheels that helped to improve the economic level of Avignon in past centuries. In the fifteenth century the wool and silk were produced here. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries colorful cotton fabrics were created, inspired by designs originating in India.
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