With its big city sophistication and small
town feel, Montpellier is an ideal setting in which to get a
sense for French life. Every day, guided tours and activities
are organized so that students become familiar with their
surroundings. Teachers and guides lead them through the
city’s maze of winding streets and the picturesque, large,
open squares and boulevards on which they converge.
Many of these characteristic, tree-lined squares are centered
on distinctive fountains, lending Montpellier its nickname, ‘City of 100 Fountains.’ Students can enjoy the pleasant
cafés and observe the public life of a typical Mediterranean
town, where the focus is traditionally turned away from the
home and onto the streets, the parks, and the local markets.
Montpellier’s cultural resources are extensive: the
Musée Fabre is considered to house one of France’s
most important public collections of art and welcomes
internationally significant exhibitions such as the ones
on American Impressionism in 2007, Gustave Courbet
in 2008, and Alphonse Mucha in 2009; the Musée
Languedocien contains treasures of the Languedoc region
from prehistory to the present; the Opéra Berlioz is
renowned for its acoustics and its national orchestra. Despite
the fact that much of the city was destroyed by the Wars of
Religion, the striking Saint-Pierre Cathedral dates back to
the 14th century, and a 12th-century crypt has been restored
to house the Museum of the City of Montpellier. Other landmarks
include two of the original towers from the medieval
fortified city, a late 17th-century Arc de Triomphe dedicated
to Louis XIV, and an imposing stone aqueduct modeled on
the Pont du Gard, just around the corner from our residence.
Given the setting, we seek to emphasize and encourage francophone activities. Each summer we create a Table Française at the dining hall, where students come together with faculty to speak French, regardless of level, and to exchange views on daily life. We invite all interested students to request a room on a French-speaking hall if they wish to converse in French on a daily basis..
