Were it not for a holy scrap of fabric, Chartres might still be a sleepy hamlet. But the cloth that the Virgin Mary supposedly wore when she gave birth to Jesus somehow ended up here, making Chartres a major medieval pilgrimage center. The majestic cathedral that towers over the city isn’t the only reason to visit; the vieille ville is also a masterpiece of medieval architecture, which almost makes you forget the zooming highways that have encroached upon it.