Avignon - Palace of the Popes

Avignon - Palace of the Popes

When Pope Clement VI threw his coronation party in 1342, he built wine fountains in the streets of Avignon. They ran for four weeks. Guests inside the palace drank 160,000 litres — and Clement was just getting started. He spent the next decade turning this fortress into the largest Gothic palace on earth, mostly because he needed a cellar worthy of his appetite. Seven popes lived here over 67 years, and their thirst created an entire appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape exists because the papacy needed something world-class within carting distance.