Villefranche 

Hercules Brabazon Brabazon captured this view of Villefranche in watercolor. Observe how the steep, narrow street ascends toward the distant church tower, a beacon in this urban canyon. The steps themselves are potent symbols. Think back to the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia, or the Temple steps in Jerusalem. Steps represent a striving, an ascent toward the divine or a higher state of being. In our collective memory, steps evoke pilgrimage and spiritual seeking. Even in secular contexts, the act of climbing steps is laden with symbolic weight. Consider the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where momentous decisions unfold. Here in Villefranche, the steps draw your eye upward, inviting contemplation. They echo through time, connecting us to humanity's enduring quest for meaning.