Photographic reportage by Jean-Pierre DEGAS / hemis.fr
Feature
France : Sete, Royal Canal
The sun, the harbour, washing floating in the wind; the trawlers arriving in the evening, the fishemen’s cocky humour, the busy outdoor cafés…. Sète is the story of wandering Italians, exiled from their native Naples when it became part of the kingdom of Sardinia, more than a century ago. Today, more than a third of the population of Sète is of Italian origin, which of course was bound to leave its mark on the town, on the colorful walls of the streets in the Souras-Bas quarter as well as in the Quartier-Haut clambering up towards the Mont Saint-Clair. Neapolitan swear words string the speech of its inhabitants. Even the specialty of the town has a Neapolitan flavour : pasta. The famous Calabrian « tielle » (a calamari pie) is the emblem of the town. Sète is a sort of « island town » quite apart from the rest of the Mediterranean coast. Because of its canals and the salt lake of Thau, it has an air of Venice. « Time has nothing to do with it » said Brassens, a native of Sète and whose mother was Italian. « His open mind and free spirit are linked to Sète » according to Régine Monpays, curator of the Espace Brassens. People here are different, think differently. You have only to see the sailors aboard the trawlers, as forthright and unyielding as their brave ancestors. You have only to see them during the festivities of the day of Saint Peter’s pardon proudly running through the town bearing the statue of Saint Peter in its heavy boat, an expression of genuine devotion for their patron saint in their eyes. And what of the jousting and water tournaments all the inhabitants are proud of? In mid July everyone is busy preparing for the tournaments the royal canal is lined with grandstands until the end of August. Saint Louis’day is the climax of the festivities. Text : Marie-France Parra / hemis.fr
HEMIS_355580 : France, Herault, Sete, Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), parade of the water jousters on Place Stalingrad facing Moliere Theater Page 3 / 27
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), sea jousting
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), colored wooden small boats for the training of the rowers
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Consular Palace
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France, Herault, Sete, Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), oboe players from Languedoc on the small boats of the water jousters
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), rowers
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France, Herault, Sete, Private Domain of Listel, riders of the riding school
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), benchs and spectactors gallery
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France, Herault, Sete, Paul Valery Museum, ground floor reserved to permanent collections, work of arts by the artist Herve di Rosa
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France, Herault, Sete, Cap de Sete, Ameri K Club Bar, Tapas evening between friends facing the sea
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), sea jousting, water jouster armed with his spear and protected by his bulwark
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), sea jousting
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France, Herault, Sete, Grand pardon de la Saint Pierre (St Pierre's feast), procession of the fishermen from the Penintents Chapel to the Decanale Saint Louis
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), fishing dinghies and pleasure boats docked
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France, Herault, Sete, Private Domain of Listel, riders from the riding school
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France, Herault, Sete, International Museum of Modest Art
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France, Herault, Sete, Plage du Lido (Lido Beach), aid station
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France, Herault, Sete, Bassin du Vieux Port (Old harbour), return from fishing of a trawler to the fish market
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France, Herault, Sete, Grand pardon de la Saint Pierre (St Pierre's feast), procession of the statue of the patron saint of the fishermen
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France, Herault, Sete, Grand pardon de la Saint Pierre (St Pierre's feast), procession of the statue of the patron saint of the fishermen
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France, Herault, Sete, Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), parade of the water jousters
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HEMIS_355641 : France, Herault, Sete, Grand pardon de la Saint Pierre (St Pierre's feast), procession of the fishermen from the Penintents Chapel to the Decanale Saint Louis
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France, Herault, Sete, Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), parade of the water jousters with the Los Marineros Orchestra
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), flotilla of supporters on board small dinghies coming to cheer up the water jousters
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), flotilla of supporters on board small dinghies coming to cheer up the water jousters
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), arrival of a trawler during the Grand Pardon de la Saint Pierre (St Pierre feast)
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), supporters of the water jousters on bards dinghies parading before the water jousters
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), teams of rowers in great effort
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), sea jousting
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), sea jousting, oboe players
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), sea jousting
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), parade of the water jousters before the fights
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), sea jousting, water jouster armed with his spear and protected by his bulwark
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France, Herault, Sete, Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), nightlife around bars during the sea joustings of Sete
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France, Herault, Sete, Grand pardon de la Saint Pierre (St Pierre's feast), procession of the fishermen from the Penintents Chapel to the Decanale Saint Louis
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), sea jouster on the Tintaine armed with his spear and protected by his bulwark
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), rowers
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), noctural sea jousting
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), noctural sea jousting
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France, Herault, Sete, Place de l'Hospitalet, sculpture of La Mama
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France, Herault, Sete, Quai Leopold Suquet, bars and terraces along the Canal Royal (Royal Canal)
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France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), trawlers on the Quai du General Durand
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HEMIS_355499 : France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), tuna boat docked down to the Mont Saint Clair Page 15 / 27
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France, Herault, Sete, Place Leon Blum, open-air cafes and bars on the Place de la Mairie at dawn
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France, Herault, Sete, Grandes Halles centrales (Big Central Covered Market), sea knifes
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France, Herault, Sete, covered market of the Halles, buyer of melons on a fruits and vegetables stand
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France, Herault, Sete, Grandes Halles centrales (Big Central Covered Market), testing oysters and tielle, local speciality with dry white wine
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France, Herault, Sete, covered market, fish market
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France, Herault, Sete, Fete de la Saint Louis (St Louis's feast), Le Jouteur Bar
France, Herault, Sete, canal Royal (Royal Canal), Quai Marechal de Lattre de Tassigny, fishing dinghies docked
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France, Herault, Sete, home-made Tielle, a speciality of Sete made with octupus
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France, Herault, Sete, Place Andre Cambon, Railway station, women with their luggages coming out on the street
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France, Herault, Sete, Pont de Pierre and Pont des Setois view from the panorama of Mont Saint Clair
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France, Herault, Sete, Paul Valery Highschool
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France, Herault, Sete, Quartier de la Pointe Courte (Pointe Courte District), Pont Marechal Foch (Marechal Foch Bridge), raising of lift brige to let the sailing boat go through
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France, Herault, Sete, Vieux Port (Old harbour) view of the Citadel, arrival of the trawlers returning from fishing
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France, Herault, Sete, entrance of the old harbour with the lighthouse down to the Mont Saint Clair
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France, Herault, Sete, Route d'Agde, Herve di Rosa water jouster
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France, Herault, Sete, Vieux Port (Old harbour), return from fishing to the fish market of a trawler
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France, Herault, Sete, Pointe Courte, the sewing by hand of the fish nets
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France, Herault, Sete, Georges Brassens Museum
France, Herault, Sete, Quartier de la Pointe Courte (Pointe Courte District), fishermen village at the mouthpiece of the Bassin de Thau
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France, Herault, Sete, Pointe Courte, Fishermen District
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HEMIS_355546 : France, Herault, Sete, Bassin de Thau, fisherman in his small boat offshore the Pointe Courte Page 21 / 27
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France, Herault, Sete, Plage du Lido (Lido Beach), access track from the Promenade du Lido
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France, Herault, Sete, Mont Saint Clair, Notre Dame de la Salette Chapel
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France, Herault, Sete, Railway station, regional train from Montpellier
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France, Herault, Sete, sculpture by the artist Sergio
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France, Herault, Sete, Quartier de la Pointe Courte (Pointe Courte District), water jousting at harbour
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France, Herault, Sete, Pierres Blanches State Forest, Allee Pierre Barthas, Cypress Allee towards the circular panorama
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France, Herault, Sete, Mont Saint Clair, stair called the 400 steps
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France, Herault, Sete, Crique de la Nau, hikker on the track of the Corniche
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France, Herault, Sete, Francois Mitterand Multimedia library, sculpture by the artist Szabo
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France, Herault, Sete, sea cemetery
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France, Herault, Sete, Francois Mitterand Multimedia library
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France, Herault, Sete, Plage du Lido (Lido Beach)
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France, Herault, Sete, Plage de la Fontaine (La Fontaine Beach), family on the beach
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France, Herault, Sete, Quartier de la Corniche (Corniche District), casino, slot machines players
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France, Herault, Sete, Cap de Sete, Ameri K Club Bar, Tapas dish on a table
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France, Herault, Sete, Plage de Villeroy (Villeroy Beach), vineyards of Listel between the Bassin de Thau and the Mediterranean
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France, Herault, Sete, Plage du Lido (Lido Beach), La Ola Beach Bar, group of friends having aperitif on the beach at sunset
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France, Herault, Sete, Cap de Sete, Ameri K Club Bar, Tapas evening between friends facing the sea
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France, Herault, Marseillan, Pointe des Onglous, Canal du Midi listed as World Heritage by UNESCO towards Sete
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France, Herault, Sete, Saint Clair lighthouse view from the Sea Theatre (Theatre de la Mer)
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HEMIS_355626 : France, Herault, Sete, Plage du Lido (Lido Beach), La Ola Beach Bar Page 27 / 27