The focus of Vieux Valence, the Cathédrale St-Apollinaire, (daily 9am–noon & 2–6pm) was consecrated in 1095 by Pope Urban II (who proclaimed the First Crusade), and largely reconstructed in the seventeenth century after a local baron went on the rampage, avenging the execution of three Protestants during the Wars of Religion. More work was carried out later, including the horribly mismatched nineteenth-century tower, but the interior still preserves its original Romanesque grace – especially the columns around the ambulatory.Between the cathedral and Église de St-Jean at the northern end of Grande Rue, which has preserved its Romanesque tower and porch capitals, are some of the oldest and narrowest streets of Vieux Valence. They are known as côtes: côte St-Estève just northwest of the cathedral; côte St-Martin off rue du Petit-Paradis; and côte Sylvante off rue du Petit-Paradis' continuation, rue A.-Paré. Diverse characters who would have walked these steep and crooked streets include Rabelais, a student at the university founded here in 1452 and suppressed during the Revolution, and the teenage Napoléon Bonaparte, who began his military training as a cadet at the artillery school. Though Valence lacks the cohesion of the medieval towns and villages further south, it does have several vestiges of the sixteenth-century city, most notably the Renaissance Maison des Têtes at 57 Grande Rue. Be sure to look at the ceiling in the passageway here, where sculpted roses transform into the cherub-like heads after which the palace is named. Also worth a look is the Maison Dupré-Latour, on rue Pérollerie, which has a superbly sculptured porch and spiral staircase. By contrast Valence's Musée des Beaux-Arts, near the cathedral on place des Ormeaux (Tues–Sun: May–Sept 10am–noon & 2–7pm; rest of year 10am–noon & 2–6pm; €2.50), contains a mishmash of unremarkable local art and archeological finds, and frankly is not worth the price of admission. A good place if you need to fill in time is the Parc Jouvet overlooking the river (and the motorway) south of avenue Gambetta. At sunset, or even better at dawn, this is definitely the best place to be in the city – a tranquil oasis away from the town's bustle – with a bottle of Cornas or sparkling St-Peray from the vineyards across the water.
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