A link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea was an age-old dream ... but the problem was how to avoid the mountains?

In the reign of Louis XIV, one man found the answer: Pierre-Paul RIQUET. His work - the CANAL DU MIDI.

It is 240 km (150 miles) long and comprises hundreds of engineering works which blend wonderfully into the landscape. Still today it plays its part as a European communications link, proving (if proof were needed) the visionary genius of Pierre-Paul RIQUET.