Unsure about your French table manners? Published 04 November by Leyla Alyanak — Parisian by birth, Lyonnaise by adoption, historian by passion. Grenoble, just over an hour from my home, is a dream for history lovers. From Roman walls and 17th-century fortifications to tales of revolution and Resistance, here are 15 compelling reasons for any history buff to fall in love with this ancient yet energetic city.
What is less known is the incredibly rich history that hides among its streets and buildings. Grenoble, Glove-Making Capital of the 19th Century. From Convent to Bookstore: Ste. Grenoble started life as the Gaulish village Cularo before becoming a Roman city in the 3rd century. Its showpiece is the 6th-century Saint-Oyand crypt, whose beautifully carved stone provides us with a peek into the Early Medieval.
The crypt, beautifully conserved, is now accessible beneath a modern glass and steel canopy to help us immerse ourselves in the past. During excavations for the museum, more than graves were discovered, the oldest dating back to the 4th century and the most recent to the 18th. This broad historical sweep has provided us with plenty of knowledge about the evolution of burial methods and funerary practices, which we can also learn about through the many artifacts it displays.
There it sits, atop Grenoble, able to see attackers from miles away. As for the fortress itself, its network of walls, barracks and steep paths would give even the hardiest enemies pause.
Over time, the Jardin de Ville lost much of its formality and acquired more romantic touches, with shaded paths and stately trees and even a music pavilion.
