Photo : Inconnu / Wikimedia Commons (marque déposée)
Albi
Prefecture of the Tarn, Albi is nicknamed the "red city" because of the ochre brick of its historic centre and cathedral. Its episcopal complex has been inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage since 2010. It brings together the cathedral of Sainte-Cécile, the Palais de la Berbie, the collegiate church of Saint-Salvi and its cloister, the banks of the Tarn and the Pont-Vieux.
The cathedral, built between 1282 and 1480 in the context of the fight against Catharism, is a brick fortress visible from afar. The former archbishops' palace, the Berbie, houses the Toulouse-Lautrec museum, which holds the largest collection of works by the painter, born in Albi. The town enjoyed great prosperity in the Renaissance thanks to the woad trade. Walking through the lanes of the centre, along the river and on the Pont-Vieux lets you grasp the coherence of this urban ensemble.
