After Paris and Marseille, it is the largest city in France. León. This is what can be seen in this city built at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saone, and characterized by one of the most beautiful historic centers in the country.
And the historic center is precisely the perfect place from which to start your visit to Lyon: itsOld City“, which was recovered and today protected by UNESCO, is a whole succession of alleys y squares, of churches and historic buildings. And it is home to typical restaurants that invite you to sit at their wrought iron tables.
Here, in the historic center of Lyon, the ideal is to walk aimlessly to discover the most evocative corners of the area, but there is one place that is truly unmissable: it is the Place des Terreaux. Here they ignore the Town hall y Museum of Fine ArtsHere lies the splendid bartholdi fountain, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, who was destined for Bordeaux but ended up in Lyon because he could no longer afford it.
After a walk through the Old City, the advice is to visit the St. John's Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Stephen and Saint John the Baptist. Built from 1100, with works that lasted 300 years, it is one of the best examples in Europe of transition from Romanesque to Gothic.
To build this 80-meter-wide church, the stones used in the city's Romanesque monuments were removed: today, a visit here is essential. Even inside, where it is kept one of the oldest astronomical clocks on the continent. Come here at 12.00:14.00, 15.00:16.00, XNUMX:XNUMX or XNUMX:XNUMX p.m., when a real mechanical spectacle will take place.
Another splendid church in Lyon is the Basilica of Fourvière, the most important sacred place in the city. The hill on which it was built was the scene, in the past, of the massacre of the first Christian martyrs of Lyon: today, seen from below, it looks like a gigantic upside down elephant for its four octagonal towers.
What is striking is the mix of styles used: on the outside you can see the Gothic, classical and Byzantine influences.. Inside, the mosaic nave that represents the life of the Virgin Mary is spectacular. To reach the Fourvière Basilica today, you can take a pleasant walk or use the comfortable funicular.
Beyond its great architecture, religious or not, Lyon is a city that must be discovered little by little. His traboules, For example, they constitute your true soul: these covered passages, built since the Renaissance, have had various uses over the years. Although today most are private and closed to the public, there are some that can still be visited. Above all, those at Rue St Jean 54 and 27 and Place du Gouvernement.
Because you have to live Lyon like this: walking without a specific destination, ready to be surprised by its monuments, its streets, its spirit.
