Place aux Herbes, Uzès

Uzès is a small ducal town in the garrigue about twenty-five kilometres north of Nîmes, and its centre is one square: the Place aux Herbes, ringed on all four sides by stone arcades, shaded by plane trees pruned flat every winter, with a fountain in the middle and cafés under the arches. It reads as pure Languedoc — pale stone, deep shadow under the vaults, and the same square used for the Saturday market that has been held here for centuries.

The arcades are the reason to shoot here. They give a repeating frame at any hour, deep enough shade to work in at midday, and a run of arches that puts structure behind a couple without any effort. Step out of the square and the medieval lanes north lead to the Duché, the castle of the dukes of Uzès with its square keep, and to the cathedral with the Tour Fenestrelle beside it — a round six-storey Romanesque bell tower, unique in France.

Morning light comes into the eastern arcade and the square is quiet before the cafés put out their tables. Saturdays are the exception: the market fills the whole square from early and does not clear until early afternoon, which is either the best or the worst day depending on what you want in the frame.

The square is public and free, and the town centre is pedestrian with parking on the ring road outside. The Duché is a ticketed private property with its own rules for photography, so check with it directly if the castle matters to your plan.