Location

Nestled in the Rhône-Alps region of southeastern France, Lyon is the nation's second largest city. With a population exceeding one million, Lyon is a major European cultural, research, and trade center. The city itself is built on a presqu'isle ("half-island," or peninsula) and the surrounding river banks and valleys. From the Hill That Prays, to the Hill That Works, and dozens of other unique neighborhoods and sections, Lyon offers a vast array of projects for the serious urban explorer.

Founded by the Romans over 2000 years ago, Lyon grew to be known over the years as a center of the European silk industry. Since at least the end of the Renaissance, Lyon has been one of the major western centers of the Silk Route, a flow of traffic in products, currencies, and cultural exchange that stretches from China in the east to Spain in the west. The silk industry is still prevalent in Lyon today, and its silk-screening studios make some of the finest scarves, tapestries, ties, and other "screened" silk products in the world.

In more recent periods, Lyon has continued to be a vibrant center of cultural and political activity. During World War II, Lyon was, along with most of modern France, under the direct control of the Vichy government (a Nazi puppet state), but the city also served as a hotbed of Resistance activism. Lyon has continued to be on the main stage of French cultural politics ever since, particularly given its location in the south of France and its attraction for thousands of immigrants into France from former French colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as other parts of rural France and overseas départements (provinces) of France. Because of this energetic and multicultural mix in the current Lyonnais population, Lyon is a wonderful location for learning about France on the grand scale: as a world power, a metropolitan center of culture and commerce, and a modern, diverse society accommodating many different cultural, ethnic and religious traditions. It's also a great laboratory for learning about the diversity of French dialects!

Lyon is considered by many commentators to be the culinary capital of France, and it boasts an array of gastronomical delights, from fine tea houses and cafés, to haute-cuisine establishments, experimental "fusion" restaurants, and even highly affordable eateries with excellent cuisine. In addition, Lyon is a treasure trove for visitors interested in culture and the arts, from rock concerts and street theater to the highest of the "high arts." The half-neoclassical, half-postmodern Opera House in the "old city" is a constant focus of heated conversations. In December, Lyon hosts la Fête des Lumières (the Festival of Lights), an event that transforms the entire city, for three days, into a kind of amusement park of lights, lasers, and carefully choreographed light/music shows. The festival pays homage to the Virgin Mary in gratitude for the end of the city's suffering under the Plague. The festival is not to be missed!

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