Sète is one of the major sites in Occitania. The city is home to renowned fishing and trading ports in the Mediterranean and is, therefore, home to authentic maritime traditions still very much alive. The city of Sète, nicknamed the Venice of Languedoc, can be discovered along its many canals lined with colorful facades and crossed by drawbridges and swing bridges. The port of Sète was born on July 29, 1666, when King Louis XIV decided to install a maritime outlet on the Canal du Midi. This date is still celebrated every year with nautical jousts.