Question 1

Vienne on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Vienne is a small town, so a morning on foot can take in the temple, the cathedral and the ancient theater. With more time, add the Gallo-Roman museum across the Rhône at Saint-Romain-en-Gal. The temple: The Temple of Augustus and Livia, built early in the 1st century, stands in the town center. It survived because it served as a church until the Revolution. Saint-Maurice cathedral: Building began in the 12th century and finished in 1529, and Pope Innocent IV consecrated the church in 1251. The theater and Mont Pipet: The Roman theater, set into the slope of Mont Pipet, is open to visitors, and the chapel of Notre-Dame de Pipet above it looks out over the town. The pyramid: The Plan de l'Aiguille, a truncated pyramid on four arches, once stood in the Roman circus. Saint-Romain-en-Gal: Across the river, the museum and archaeological sites spread over seven hectares. On a Saturday: Vienne's Saturday market is known throughout the region. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.

Question 2

Food and Drink

Accepted Answer

Vienne has a place in French food history: Fernand Point ran the restaurant La Pyramide here from 1925 until his death in 1955, and in 1933 he was among the first chefs awarded three Michelin stars. He is often counted among the fathers of nouvelle cuisine. Point renamed the restaurant La Pyramide after the Roman pyramid nearby.

Question 3

Tipping in France

Accepted Answer

French law requires restaurant prices to include service, so a tip is not expected, and the currency is the euro. A tip is a thank-you for outstanding service rather than a duty. Service is always included in the bill. Most French people who do tip round the bill up to the next multiple of five.

Question 4

Culture and Local Life

Accepted Answer

Vienne carries France's Town of Art and History label, and for about two weeks between late June and early July its Roman theater becomes a stage for Jazz à Vienne, a festival founded in 1981. The town also has several small museums, from archaeology to the town's old cloth trade. More than 200,000 people attend the jazz festival each year, and performers have included Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles. The textile industry museum on Rue Victor Faugier keeps samples and machines from Vienne's carded-wool cloth making. The Saint-Pierre archaeological museum occupies a former abbey church on Place Saint-Pierre. The church and cloister of Saint-André-le-Bas belonged to an abbey founded in the 6th century.

Question 5

History

Accepted Answer

Vienne was the chief town of the Allobroges, a Gallic people, before Rome made it a colony, and it grew into one of the leading cities of Roman Gaul. Its archbishops ruled the town for much of the Middle Ages, and in 1311 a church council here withdrew papal support from the Knights Templar. Roman colony: Vienne became a Roman colony around 47 BC under Julius Caesar. In 6 AD Augustus exiled Herod Archelaus, a son of Herod the Great, to the town. Temple and theater: The temple honored Augustus and, later, the deified Livia. The theater, built in the 1st century, could seat 11,000 to 14,000 people, the third largest in Gaul. A Gallic emperor: In 260 Postumus was proclaimed emperor at Vienne, at the head of a short-lived breakaway empire in the west. Early Christians: Christians were living here by 177, and around 450 Vienne's bishops became archbishops. Kingdom of Provence: Boso declared himself king of Provence in 879 and was buried in Saint-Maurice in 887. Vienne remained a royal capital until 1032, when the region passed to the Holy Roman Empire. The Council of Vienne: Meeting in 1311 and 1312, the council withdrew the Pope's support from the Knights Templar. A damaged cathedral: Huguenots destroyed most of Saint-Maurice's stained glass and the sculpture of its facade on March 20, 1562. Servetus: The physician and theologian Michael Servetus lived in Vienne under another name from 1541, and his Christianismi Restitutio was printed here in secret in 1553. Rediscovery: The temple was a Temple of Reason after 1792, then a commercial court and the town museum, before restoration returned it to its Roman form. The theater was found in 1908, cleared from 1922 and opened in 1938. To learn more ashore: The Gallo-Roman museum at Saint-Romain-en-Gal, across the Rhône from Vienne, opened in 1996 beside the excavated remains of a Roman district.

Vienne, France

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Where Ships Moor

Vienne on Your Own

Food and Drink

Tipping in France

Culture and Local Life

History

Port crowds

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