www.narbonne-tourisme.co.uk. Dwarfed by the grandiose bulk of its Gothic cathedral, Narbonne was the first Roman colony in Gaul, Narbo Martius. A major trading and ecclesiastical centre in the Middle Ages, the town was diminished by war and pestilence, then lost direct access to the sea when the River Aude changed course. Today, Narbonne is a market for Corbiéres wines, and restoration around the Canal de la Robine (an offshoot of the Canal du Midi) makes for pleasant walks along the banks past painted barges and a flower market on cours de la République.

Pope Clément IV sent a foundation stone from Rome, and work began on the Cathédrale de Saint-Just in 1272. It stopped well short of the original plans when the city walls got in the way. Without a nave, the soaring choir is one of the tallest in France, pierced by a twin tier of superb 14thC stained glass windows. Stroll around to the Gothic cloister for a picturesque view of the roofs, a cat’s cradle of turrets, arches and fearsome gargoyles picked out against the sky. From a terrace on the right, you can see the donjons and solidly buttressed walls of the fortified Palais des Archevêques. Inspired by the Palais des Papes in Avignon, it now houses, around the inner courtyard, an excellent archaeological museum (paleolithic tools, beautiful Roman mosaics), and opposite, a fine arts collection displayed in the restored archbishop’s apartments.

North of the cathedral complex, a snippet of Narbo Martius, part of a Roman Horreum, has been excavated to reveal two rows of stalls where grain and other foodstuffs were stored.

Narbonne is a useful base for exploring Roussillon: French Catalonia.