Castelviel, the old

Castelviel, the old castle districtToulouse-Lautrec MuseumJardins du Palais des EvequesIn fact everywhere you look, Albi shimmerswith colour, the tones of the local clayearning it the nickname of La Ville Rouge, acounterpart to the pink bricks of Toulouse, LaVille Rose, capital of the Occitanie region.Around one hour from Toulouse by car –and easily accessible by fast train – Albi’spopulation today numbers around 50,000and whilst the city boasts a lively retail andrestaurant scene, it is the rich history thatattracts most visitors to this delightful city.I start my visit in the Cité Episcopale,strategically positioned at the highest pointof the town above the Tarn river and listed byUNESCO as a World Heritage Site. First stopfor most visitors is the cathedral but Albi’sbishops lived in grand style next door in thePalais de la Berbie. Today this turreted, redbrick building is home to a unique museumdedicated to the city’s most famous son -artist, illustrator and printmaker Henri deToulouse-Lautrec.Born in Albi in 1864 into a wealthyfamily, Henri’s mobility and lifestyle werecompromised by a bone condition that gavehim short legs. But Henri showed a talent forpainting from a young age and I linger over hisvibrant studies of horses and his experimentswith different genres of painting executedbefore he moved to Paris and developed hissignature style. Here Henri painted everydayscenes of prostitutes and, during his lastdecade, his famous advertising posters forcabarets and music halls.Ironically, Parisian museums consideredHenri too provocative to accept a gift of hiswork from his mother after his death in 1901,aged just 36. His hometown, however, wasdelighted with the donation for their modestmuseum that has since grown into one ofFrance’s leading art collections. And behindthe Berbie Palace is another of Albi’s knockoutviews, a high-level panorama over the formalplanting of the Bishop’s Garden – classifiedJardin Remarquable – and across the Tarn.Head round the soaring cathedral towerto take in the village atmosphere and halftimberedhouses of the Castelviel or OldCastle district. The chateau is long gone, butAlbi’s latest addition – and something of aAlbi’s new footbridgeCité Episcopal seen from the rivervisitor attraction – is the new stylish footbridgethat runs alongside and underneath the railbridge to provide a third route across the Tarn.The nearby Pont Vieux road bridge reopenedin June after major restoration and is theoldest bridge in France still carrying vehicles.Look one way for views up to Sainte-Cécile;the other way towards the red brick arches ofthe lofty Pont du 22 Août 1944 and the formerflourmill, now converted into offices, homesand a delightful hotel.From the riverside windows of the HotelMercure Albi Bastides, the red and russetshades of the brick bridges and Cité Episcopalchange with the weather and time of day. Andwhat nicer way to wind down than with dinnerat an alfresco table in the hotel restaurant,La Vermicellerie, named in honour of thealphabet-shaped vermicelli manufacturedhere in the 19 th century.The hotel and adjacent road bridgefeature on Albi’s Blue Circuit, one of threeinterconnecting walking routes detailed ona free map from the Tourist Office. Go Bluefor views of the Episcopal complex; Gold for38 | The Good Life FranceThe Good Life France | 39