This morning I went on an organised tour of the private houses (Hotels Particuliers) in the old town of Montpellier.

Apparently, Montpellier is not as old as many of the towns around it, having no Roman history and being founded in the 10thC. During medieval times it was a major trading post, specialising in moneylending, dyeing and the spice trade. This was put in jeopardy by the Hundred Years War and the Black Death. Although there was some recovery, everything was again stopped by the wars of religion.

After the town had been resolutely re-Catholicised by Louis XIII, trade resumed and rich families built new houses on the foundations of the existing medieval ones – where they had survived the siege. They were not able to build outside the old city walls because Louis had built a fort facing (not protecting) the town in case they decided to become Protestant again.

I then met Anne and went to the Musee Fabre. No photos but https://museefabre.montpellier3m.fr