Avignon extends at the confluence of the Rhône and the Durance as well as at the crossroads of two regions (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) and three departments (Vaucluse, Gard, Bouches-du-Rhône). The city, famous for its bridge and ramparts, remains in the collective mind the city that housed the popes from 1309 to 1423, as evidenced by its impressive Palais des Papes. It also owes its fame to its summer festival of performing arts, an artistic and cultural showcase of national reputation.