Le Vieux Pont arches over the Gartempe River in the heart of Montmorillon leading the way into the old half of town. There's been a bridge here since at least the twelfth century, though what you walk across now is mostly fifteenth century work that was patched up in the nineteenth after various floods damaged different sections. On the eastern side of the river there are two small beaches that let you get down to the water level. From there the arch sits low over the water with old houses stacked up behind it, plus on a still morning the reflection turns the arch into a full circle. While exploring the bridge itself, you can capture the view along the river toward the medieval quarter along or the church rising above all the medieval architecture surrounding the bridge. Autumn is especially photogenic here, when the trees along the banks turn and the water is usually still. The bridge is always open, with parking over on the newer side of the river. After you are done capturing the bridge make time to explore the Cité de l'Écrit, the book town quarter, that is filled with bookshops and craft workshops in old stone houses. (Montmorillon, Vienne, France)
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