Uzes is a small town and a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It lies about 25 kilometres north-northeast of Nimes. Uzes is in the middle of Le Gard, which is the south of France, but not the familiar Midi. 'People think of this part of the country as being all about sun and sea,' one Uzétien said to me. 'Here, inland and on the unfashionable side of the Rhône, there's something more authentic than you'll find on the coast. Uzès is a town where people live and work, where the market is for locals - not just for summer tourists.' Yet 50 years ago, the town was dying. All the old buildings were dilapidated and deserted, and no one wanted to live in them. Then the French government designated Uzès a historic town and a ville d'art, and invested money in its restoration.