The best recipe for preserving an old section of a town is economic collapse. Lyon was no exception. It was the center of the silk trade and became very wealthy from the 16th to 19th centuries – and then the market collapsed. New Lyon developed across the river and old Lyon was left to decay. Fortunately that’s all in the past and now old Lyon has the best preserved Renaissance buildings in the county. The merchants who started the silk trade came from Italy and the buildings here have a vaguely Italian vibe. Silk was super valuable and a unique set up of of private passages (traboules) developed to move silk from lone stage of production to the next. They also later provided a great way for resistance fighters to avoid capture by Nazis. Some of these you can still explore. To appreciate this are the best take a guided tour offered by the TI. It is included in the recommended Lyon City Card. The Croix Rousse neighborhood is where much of the silk weaving took place and is another fascinating area to explore. The TI also offers tours here.