In Languedoc-Roussillon, photography is available in both large and large formats, against the backdrop of a most inspiring cultural and natural heritage. We know the Rencontres à Arles, this cultural incubator dedicated to photography, and Visa pour l'image in Perpignan for its bold choices of photo reports. In Narbonne, the latest addition, the international festival Sportfolio combines art and sport into a clever alchemy. For the 3rd edition, from 27 May to 19 June, the city of Narbonne is hosting more than 15 exhibitions within its historic monuments, along the Canal du Midi on boats, which are accessible free of charge. The opportunity, for a weekend, to make way for pure emotion, by discovering what the image of sport is at its highest level, and to push exploration further by venturing into an exceptional territory: the Narbonnaise
Narbonne, a great story
During a weekend in Narbonne, you get lost in the corridors of time: antiquity, the Middle Ages, the golden age of viticulture, the periods are intertwined with each other in concordant notes. The city of Narbonne, formerly Narbo Martius, "twin sister of Rome", founded in 118 BC, was the oldest Roman colony outside Italy. And from this prestigious past, while waiting for the Romanesque Museum under construction, no monumental building but traces preserved here and there in the city with its Mediterranean charm. Once you have passed the Town Hall and its section of Via Domitia, you go up Via Droite to discover the Roman Horreum, where you can access, by a 5-metre staircase, the Roman underground galleries and its collection of amphorae. Then we follow the Domitia Way, a little further down, towards Les Barques, its terraces where it is nice to sit in the sun, on the banks of the Robine Canal. Before returning to the monumental complex, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, visit the palace and its unfinished cathedral, its shaded park and its contemporary sculptures. Immersion in the heart of a dense heritage: from the archaeological museum to the lapidary museum where more than 2000 stone blocks, one of the most important lapidary collections in the world, are stored, from the art and history museum, with its unique collection of orientalist paintings to the Clos de la Lombarde, archaeological site. We linger on a small square, after having strayed through countless alleys, teeming with small, singular art galleries, to feast on the rustling of the water from a fountain. Art of living, well illustrated by the Halles de Narbonne, a famous institution in the heart of the city, where you can still linger a little longer at the counter, in one of the alleys to taste a wine from La Clape and some local products
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A muscular festival, unique in the world: the international sports image festival Sportfolio, from May 27 to June 19
60,000 visitors are expected for the 3rd edition of Sportfolio, the international sports image festival, which brings together in Narbonne the greatest talents in photography and the most beautiful professional images from the sports world. Sportfolio is the celebration of sport intimately linked to history, the reconciliation of two worlds that everything seems to oppose: sport and culture. "Sport beyond clichés", a signature that the co-founder and director of the festival, Bénédicte d'Audigier, claims: "This festival is unique in the world, the first and only one to celebrate the image of sport. An art that is often overlooked, even though it is an integral part of history, as a reminder of memory. The image of sport reflects with intensity this richness, this diversity of all sports, whether they are globalized, such as football, rugby or from ancestral traditions. Thus, kushti, a traditional form of Indian wrestling that is still practiced in India, and which is tending to disappear in favour of golf or cricket... Note this year: the festival, for its 3rd edition, gives a special place to women. Sport is combined with femininity, and so is photography. "On the picture rails, in the beautiful historical setting of Narbonne, large-format photos selected from around the world of the greatest names in photography (Pulitzer Prize, Wordpress Prize...) await the visitor. Access to the 15 exhibitions is public and free of charge, as well as photo workshops with internationally renowned photographers... Emotions in their pure state..
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From beaches to infinity
And even if you are not registered for one of the photo workshops that take place on the Narbonne coast in the presence of great sports champions invited for the Festival Sportfolio (it's in the program!), nothing prevents a detour to the Mediterranean Sea. Large beaches of fine sand under an infinitely blue sky are revealed at the end of the winding road that leads through the Massif de la Clape. Narbonne-Plage, Saint-Pierre-la-Mer, Gruissan, Port-la-Nouvelle, or even Leucate, so many seaside resorts to recharge your batteries. From ports to cliffs, from bays to coves, from beaches to ledges, we try for a weekend to experience the art of living the water, the sun and the wind. It's all here: scents of sun oil, lake plants, iodine, fish, boarding and dreamy smells
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