Albi is refreshingly understated. This picturesque town has a wealth of history and culture, its ancient centre is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and, as the birthplace of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, is also home to a world famous art collection. Yet, it is a disarmingly relaxed and friendly place that, while it receives a fair number of tourists, manages to feel slightly off the beaten track.
The languid River Tarn runs beneath the walls of the Palais de la Berbie, separating the historic centre of Albi from the almost as ancient Madeleine district on the north bank. Connecting the two for almost a thousand years is the glorious Pont Vieux, its eight arches spanning the 150 metre wide river. The views from the bridge along the river are wonderful. Walking across it is the perfect way to arrive in the town.
We stayed in the Madeleine district, in a riverside house next to the bridge, the sound of water rushing over the weir a constant backdrop. It is a quiet area with a scattering of restaurants and cafes, and only a short walk to the UNESCO wonders of the Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile and Palais de la Berbie. The former palace of the Bishops of Albi houses the Toulouse-Lautrec museum and its gardens and courtyards are open to wander.
The formal gardens sit on a terrace overlooking the River Tarn, offering great views to the Madeleine district and back to the hulking Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile. It really is a town full of beautiful views. Together with the cathedral and an area of tightly packed streets close to the cathedral, it’s known as the Castelviel district and makes up the heart of the medieval town.
The Castelviel was the most affluent part of medieval Albi. Here you’ll discover the house where Henri Toulouse-Lautrec was born – not open to the public – and in a neighbouring house the former home of Jean-François de Galaup, Count of Lapérouse. A sailor famed for leading a scientific voyage on a circumnavigation of the world. The voyage ended in mysterious circumstances in the Pacific in 1789.
Mysterious, that is, until a British ship discovered the wreck of Lapérouse’s ship almost thirty years later. A short walk from these historic streets is the Saint-Salvi district, named for the oldest church in Albi. It’s an interesting area that used to be full of medieval trades workshops like coppersmiths, and which is now a shopping area. It’s home to the 16th century Hôtel de Reynès, with its sculptures of enigmatic womens’ faces.
The Hôtel de Reynès was the home of a wealthy cloth merchant and is one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture in Albi. Not far away is another medieval district, Saint-Julien. As the oldest area of Albi it is where the oldest private house in the town is found, the 12th century Maison Fenasse. It overlooks the district’s centrepiece, the covered market
A market has been here for centuries, but the current Marché Couvert opened in 1905. It was the work of architect Thierry Bourdois and no less than engineer and industrialist, André Michelin, who created the world-famous tyre company. After exploring all these little neighbourhoods, popping into the triangular-shaped market either for lunch or to pick up some choice items for lunch is a pleasant reward.
The stalls offer a wide variety of produce to cook at home, or to just eat there at one of the many bistros and cafes. While we decided whether to eat in or do our own cooking, we struck up a conversation with a wine merchant and ended up trying a few glasses of local wine. They were delicious and the news got even better, he visits Belgium every year for a wine fair so we can pick up Albi wines at home.
So why is Albi called ‘La Ville Rouge’, or indeed ‘Albi the Red’? Almost the entire medieval town was built using foraine or ‘Roman’ bricks. These thin bricks helped build the Roman Empire and millions of them were used to construct Albi. The cathedral and Bishop’s palace are two of the largest brick-built structures on earth. Made from red clay they give the city it’s nickname – especially when illuminated in the evening sun.
