Pézenas

Jacques Cœur chose this Medieval market town to set up his business. Pézenas was also home to the Montmorency family, who were the governors of Languedoc.

Wander down the cobbled streets, lined with luxurious mansions. The tales of Molière’s stays here are the stuff of history and legend: the armchair he sat in at the Gély barbershop, where he listened to the public; the ‘Bât d’Argent’ inn, where he feasted with the poet D’Assoucy; and the Château de la Grange des Près, where he was invited by the Prince of Conti.

The farces performed by Moliere’s theatre company – L’Illustre Théâtre – can still be felt today, in remembrance of the greatest ambassador for the French language.