2025 - April - Narbonne

Did you know that Rome has (at least) one daughter?

The oldest (!) daughter of Rome that we just visited is Narbonne. It was founded in 118 BC, making it the first Roman colony outside Italy. And as a visible symbol of this heritage, the sculpture of the Capitoline Wolf, nursing Romulus and Remus, stands in at least two places in the city – we discovered two, at least.

According to ancient mythology, Romulus and Remus were the legendary brothers raised by a she-wolf. Romulus is said to have founded the city of Rome after murdering his brother Remus.

Today, Narbonne is a relatively small town with around 57,000 inhabitants in southern France. In ancient times, the Via Domitia, a significant Roman trade and military road, ran through here. Nowadays, even the TGV stops here – a surprisingly good connection for such a small place. We were on our way from Barcelona to Paris and were looking for a nice stopover – and we found it here.

Among the city's major attractions is certainly the Cathedral of Saint-Just, construction of which began in 1272, as well as the adjacent Bishop's Palace. Particularly interesting: parts of the cathedral were never finished – the transept has no roof. This makes the interior of the church feel somewhat constricted, but that contributes to its unique, special character.

A little further away, but still within the city limits, there is even a small stretch of beach on the Mediterranean. During our short stay of two nights, we didn't manage to visit it – instead, we strolled along the canal and enjoyed the lovely weather sitting in a café or on a bench.

And then there’s another attraction in the city: Les Grands Buffets!

We were there – you can find my report here: