Light & Lively Lyon - France Today

With its narrow cobbled streets, medieval churches and magnificent Renaissance buildings, Lyon is every inch the imposing European city, its story dating back more than 2,000 years. And currently under construction is the massive urban renewal project Lyon Confluence, at the junction of the city's two great rivers, the Rhône and the Saône. In the 14th century Lyon was annexed to France, and under François I artists and artisans from Italy brought an Italianate look—and a silk industry—that persisted as the city spread eastward from the medieval and Renaissance Vieux Lyon on the banks of the Saône to the narrow 18th-century Presqu'île, or peninsula, between the rivers. Although the workers' demands were not met, the revolt and subsequent demonstrations gave Lyon and the Lyonnais a lasting reputation for resistance and rebellion. Resistance hero Jean Moulin, captured at a June 1943 meeting with other leaders in the Lyon suburb Caluire-et-Cuire, was interrogated and tortured by Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie, known as "the butcher of Lyon". Barbie, who lived in South America for decades after the war, was finally tried and convicted of crimes against humanity, and imprisoned in Lyon until his death in 1991. His former Gestapo headquarters is now a museum, the Centre d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation. The city center today is the Presqu'île, sandwiched between the two rivers and flanked by the two hills: Croix-Rousse to the north, known as "the hill that works" because of its silk-weaving history, and on the west Fourvière, "the hill that prays" because of the gleaming white, late 19th-century Notre Dame basilica that dominates the Lyon skyline, built on the site of the old Roman Forum. Below you, Vieux Lyon is a mass of red, russet and gray tiled roofs and Renaissance towers in shades of amber and ochre. The Rose Tower on Rue du Boeuf is worth a look, as is the Maison des Avocats on the Rue de la Bombarde. Much of the charm of Vieux Lyon lies in just meandering around, spotting statues and gargoyles adorning ancient buildings or peering into quiet courtyards, some with spiral staircases or entrances to traboules , secret passageways that were originally just shortcuts up and down the hill, and later used for storage by silk merchants and hideouts by the Resistance. On the Place des Terreaux, action central with its open-air cafés and restaurants, the ornate Hôtel de Ville faces off against the wildly rearing horses of a monumental fountain sculpture by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and the imposing Musée des Beaux-Arts. The Montée de la Grande Côte offers a particularly nice walk up the hill, and one of the best overall views of the city. At the opposite end of the Presqu'île, the flagship development project of the city, Lyon Confluence, is one of the largest urban renewal projects underway in Europe, transforming huge swaths of the 370 acres of former industrial land at the tip of the peninsula. Judging from Lyon's other recent projects, however, it will be a grand success. For example, the Cité Internationale, designed by Renzo Piano and inaugurated on the banks of the Rhône in 2006, incorporates a convention center, apartments, businesses, hotels, restaurants, cafés, movie theaters and the Musée d'Art Contemporain, all looking out onto the wonderful Parc de la Tête d'Or. The boats are also a hub of Lyon nightlife, many turning into floating nightclubs after dusk. France is, as everyone knows—well, the French at least—the gastronomic capital of the world, and Lyon is often called the gastronomic capital of France, although the origins of this mighty boast are a little unclear. One of France's most famous chefs, Paul Bocuse, whose three-star restaurant is just outside of town in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, learned his trade with Eugénie Brazier, one of the so-called mères de Lyon , the Lyonnais mothers. LYON NOTEBOOK Like Paris, Lyon is divided into districts called arrondissements. Lyon has nine: the 1st is the top of the Presqu'île around the Place des Terreaux; and Fourvière and Vieux Lyon are in the 5th. 42 rue Mercière, 2nd, 04.72.77.60.90 L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges Legendary chef Paul Bocuse's flagship three-star restaurant. Café des Fédérations Typical Lyon bouchon— the full range of traditional Lyon fare complete with warm welcome and red checked tablecloths. Quai Saint Antoine, 2nd Scattered around town, the great chef's five brasserie annexes focus on different aspects of French cuisine: 18 rue Neuve, 2nd, 04.72.10.69.69 14 place Jules Ferry, 6th, 04.37.24 25.26 11 place Antonin Poncet, 2nd, 04.72.77.80.00 1 quai du Commerce, 9th, 04.37.64.64.64 40 allée Pierre de Coubertin, 7th, 04.72.73.72.73 Hôtel des Artistes Overlooking the Théâtre des Célestins, an attractive, understated hotel.