The Venice Of Languedoc
Sète, called the Venice of Languedoc because of its light, colours, reflections and canals, is built on the side of Mont Saint Clair. It is poised like a pearl between the Mediterranean and the Thau lagoon, famous for its oysters.
The largest fishing port on the Mediterranean, Sète has retained its traditional charm thanks to the daily ballet of the trawlers escorted by seagulls. The port, built at the same time as the Canal du Midi by Riquet and Colbert, was designed as the sea-mouth of the canal. You can watch cruise ships docking here all year round.
On the La Marine quayside, restaurants offer a wide choice of Sète specialities and the canal is a lively spectacle throughout the day as trawlers return from their day’s fishing and unload their catch on the dock and then auction it. The Cimetière marin (sailor’s cemetery) which overlooks the Corniche and faces the sea, is one of Sète’s most famous places. It was immortalised by the Sète poet, Paul Valéry, who is buried in the upper part of the graveyard. It also houses the tomb of the actor and theatre director, Jean Vilar. Mont Saint Clair, with the chapel of Notre Dame de la Salette at its summit, is a place of pilgrimage. It is 183 metres in height and provides an exceptionally good view of the town and the docks.
The famous nautical jousting tournaments (see below) of Languedoc-Roussillon take place throughout the summer on the canals of Sète, Agde Palavas-les-Flots and Grau-du-Roi. Dressed in white, their bare feet braced against the boards of their boats, the jousters face each other across the water, a shield in one hand and a wooden lance in the other. This extraordinary form of combat dates back to the Middle Ages and represents a kind of ritualised battle between married men and youths. The joust in Sète on the Feast of St Louis (August) is the best known, and always draws a big crowd. The winner becomes a local celebrity for a year.
Our own suggestion for visiting Sete.
Here, you’ll find the region on your plate, with specialities that focus on fish, such as the fish-stew known as ‘bourride’, cuttlefish in ‘rouille’ sauce, stuffed squid tubes, and then there are all the shellfish: oysters, mussels and clams from the Thau Lagoon, not forgetting the stars of the show, strongly influenced by their Neapolitan roots: the ‘tielle’ – a sort of octopus pancake and the ‘macaronade’ – beef paupiettes in tomato and pasta. And, of course, all of this washed down (in moderation) with the great wines from the Languedoc: Noilly Prat or Muscat from Frontignan as an aperitif, white wines from Listel or Picpoul de Pinet with the culinary specialities.
For more information
Tourist Office – Tel: + 33 (0)4 67 96 23 86
Nautical jousting
The famous nautical jousting tournaments of Languedoc-Roussillon take place throughout the summer on the canals of Sète, Agde Palavas-les-Flots and Grau-du-Roi. Dressed in white, their bare feet braced against the boards of their boats, the jousters face each other across the water, a shield in one hand and a wooden lance in the other.This extraordinary form of combat dates back to the Middle Ages and represents a kind of ritualized battle between married men and youths. The joust is on the Feast of St Louis (25 August) is the best known, and always draws a big crowd. The winner becomes a local celebrity for a year.
