A staircase of 15 ritual steps through a passageway lit by bulbs led us to an eerie underground water table. The steps were like going to a medieval dungeon for prisoners. Well this is a 13th century Mikveh, the ceremonial Jewish bath, in the old central street of the Jewish quarter in Montpellier. The Jewish bath is like a hidden mystery of this medieval southern France city. As I emerged from the underground mikveh - that represents a thousand-year-old place of spirituality - into the Mediterranean sunlight of Montpellier and walked through the cobbled roads and alleyways of limestone houses and basked in the effervescence of a sprawling city centre or a square with some fountain, I realised that Monpellier is indeed an undervalued destination of France. Like the mikveh, Montpellier, located in the Occitanie region of France with almost a yearlong good weather and sunshine, is a hidden gem and lesser known component of the French Riviera. Well, I realised that right on arrival when our cab passed through the stunning Arc De Triomphe.

 

Medieval, gothic Montpellier Montepllier has its very own Arc De Triomphe like Paris and it is a centerpiece of the iconic city gateway that is Porte du Peyrou. We passed through it into a warren of beautiful buildings on both sides of the street in the old town. If you get an access to ascend to its top, it offers an incredible view of the city. We climbed to the roof and enjoyed a sweeping view of Montpellier. Well if you are visiting this city, you can ask the tourism office for permission to go to the top of Arc De Triomphe. “Graceful and easy-going, Montpellier is a stylish metropolis with elegant buildings, grand hôtels particuliers (private mansions), stately boulevards and shady backstreets, and gorgeous white-sand beaches on its doorstep,” I read on Lonely Planet about Montpellier when I looked up for some information before planning a trip. I found it matching this brief description indeed. Of all the words it uses for Montpelier, the one that sums it up is- easy-going. All because of the people who live here.

 

We were staying in this magnificent heritage property- Hotel Richer de Belleval- in Montpellier which overlooks a square that buzzes with music and a crowd of merry-making diners on weekends, and to my amazement one of the senior ladies of the hotel- a livewire of the property- accompanied us to the beach the next day just like a friend in a non-fancy car ride with the city’s tourism department magnate Valerie. Montpellier is easy-going because the people irrespective of their positions or work are easy-going. What they have in abundance is ‘joie de vivre’. According to Montpellier tourism, their city centre is an open-air museum! The city indeed is a unique blend of the new and old architectural marvels. So while you wander the old town’s medieval lanes, enjoy the street art, or visit Musée Fabre (a famous museum), stroll around Place de la Comédie (the square) or visit the famous Faculty of Medicine, Montpellier Cathedral, and Saint-Roch Church, in another part of city new modern buildings designed by celebrity architects, including a government office by iconic (late) Zaha Hadid, await your attention. Beginning in the old town, I loved the Gothic style Montpellier Cathedral which is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Peter. The Saint-Roch Church is at the heart of the Ecusson, in a district made of coffee terraces and restaurants. Adjacent to St Peter’s Cathedral, the university of the city is located in a former 14th century monastery known for law and theology studies. Here in 1220 the “Faculty of Medicine” was officially recognized. It is the oldest medical school in the West that is still functioning.

 

The walls of the hall are decorated with portraits of the most famous teachers in formal dress. The Faculty houses numerous treasures, including a library of 900 manuscript volumes, 300 incunabula, 100,000 volumes printed before 1800, and all the theses produced by the faculties of Montpellier and Paris since the 17th century. The most sprawling region of Montpellier is the square located near the Ecusson (the City Center), one of the favorite places of Montpellier residents and visitors. It is right opposite the triumphal Arch or Arc De Triomphe . In the extension of the triumphal Arch, the Peyrou esplanade opens to all horizons. It hosts the statue of Louis XIV on horseback and the château d'eau (a water tower designed in the 18th century). The Peyrou esplanade offers a panoramic view of the city, of the ancient arches of a Roman aqueduct, Les Arceaux and of the surrounding area. It was completed in 1774, the date of Louis XVI's accession to the throne, by Jean Giral, the architect. The triumphal Arch and the water tower and the Arceaux aqueduct, are typical of classical architecture. This area-the Promenade du Peyrou- is the most relaxing, prettiest space of the city. It is magnificent to be there during the golden hours. Contemporary Montpellier If you like contemporary architecture, then a walk along the river Lez and through the Port Marianne district is a must. The Antigone district of Montpellier, designed by Ricardo Bofill, is marked by its neoclassical architecture. Place de l’Europe, Place du nombre d’or and Place de Thessalie are three beautiful squares of the district. Place de Thessalie with its fountain of ephebes wowed me.

 

Three statues of Ephebes (meaning a young military trainee male in ancient Greece) here are showering under running water of the fountain and it surely takes you back to ancient Greece. Do not miss an Instagram worthy photo here. Explore the city’s newest district, Port-Marianne, the hub of the young people for its activities, food joints and entertainment venues. The district’s contemporary, designer-style architecture, which mixes offices, housing and buildings by top architects, has added a new dimension to Montpellier. From a “green route” bike path along the river Lez to Palavas-les Flots, this is new Montpellier. Walking by the riverside you also encounter an all-white tree building with its large suspended balconies. That’s the Arbre Blanc, meaning White Tree. However, the centerpiece of Port Marianne is City Hall, a large cube of blue glass and aluminum laid on the edge of the river Lez, imagined by Jean Nouvel and François Fontès and completed in 2011. Two large interior patios and light-dimming blinds are reminiscent of Mediterranean architecture. The tramway When in Montpellier, do not miss the tramway. The Montpellier tramway is the ideal mode of transport to get around, to visit a number of tourist sites or even reach close to the beach. The trams in this city are works of art and the routes named after four elements: air with white swallows on a blue background on line 1; earth with the flowers on line 2; water with the underwater decorations on line 3; fire with trains on line 4 dedicated to the Sun King. In 2000, with line 1, the designers Garouste and Bonetti announced the renewal of transport in Montpellier with their “swallows” design. Inaugurated in 2006, line 2 with its multicoloured flowers is a testimony to the summer beauty of the Mediterranean landscape. In 2012, Christian Lacroix designed lines 3 and 4 with a very contemporary design.

 

He is both a great name in fashion and a man from the South, originally from Camargue, who loves the Mediterranean Sea! Octopuses, fish and starfish decorate line 3, while gold-coloured antique engravings decorate line 4.“Embark on a design and haute couture journey!” says Montpellier Tourism about their trams. White sand beaches Montpellier is not on the beach, it is 10 km inland. But a few kilometres can be covered easily by public transport. So Montpellier is also a destination with a white sand beach which is unspoilt. Palavas-les-Flots or Carnon are more touristy beaches while the secluded ones are Petit Travers and Grand Travers. You can reach the beaches even without a car. Just take a tram (line 4 or 3 depending on the beach) and then a bus to the beaches. So land on one of the beaches for the long walks, for paddling, or some water sports. Or just laze about with a drink on a private beach. There are some luxurious beach properties too for the well heeled travellers. I spent an afternoon in the lounge of one of those- Hôtel Spa Plage Palace on Palavas-les-Flots beach. It is a property with two floors of immaculate white cubes and an elaborate open lounge with restaurants and cocktail bar overlooking the Mediterranean sea. I stepped out of the lounge and walked on the white sands and found a spot for myself on a rock against which the Mediterranean waves were crashing as the golden hours approached. From the beach, as we returned to the comfort of Hotel Richer de Belleval, which felt like my home for two days thanks to the most hospitable staff lineup, Montpellier appeared to me indeed easy-going, elegant and full of people with warm, loving hearts. (Images by Sujoy Dhar) (IBNS-TWF) ■