Arles, in the South of France, goes back about 2500 years to the era of the Greek and the Romans. It became an important centre for commerce and a military base at the crossing of main Roman arterial roads. So it’s no surprise that also cultural interests came up and Arles got, about 2000 years ago, sites for entertainment. Until today these sites are used for events.
There is the Roman Amphitheatre which could be filled with about 25000 people and the Roman Theatre for about 12000 people. Today … it’s much less, because the centuries took their toll.
When my better half & I made a trip to Arles these monuments were the main attractions for us to visit. Above there is a photo of the Roman Amphitheatre with its still exiting 2 stories. Below you’ll find a photo of the Roman Theatre with the last remaining columns standing.
It was a nice day in September with some blue sky, some white clouds, some sun and lots of wind. When arriving we were fortunate to find a parking space near the ancient fortifications of Arles. Be prepared of traffic jam & too few parking lots!
We needed only walking along one of these typical alleys of French cities in the South and the Roman Amphitheatre appeared on the horizon closely surrounded by townhouses.
There are the old circuits which led the visitors to their places, sometimes somewhat dark and spooky … The lower tiers are the same as when built. Today the 3rd gallery is constructed of steel. The circumference of the arena is large … giving space for events. As I read it’s used for the French way of bullfight w/o bloodshed as well as any other cultural event.
All over the monument you’ll find beautiful relics of the original design.
Only few steps away is the Roman Theatre, also a vast area. It’s a classic semi-circular design. The tiers are ancient, but used today as then.
All over the area are relics of the past like columns, like passages and archways. Only 2 columns seem to habe survived the centuries – more are broken and scattered somewhere … not to interfere with visitors.
The stage is equipped nowadays with hi-tech equipment. The Roman Theatre is home of performances and music events.
Strolling along the alleyway outside the main entrance of the Roman Theatre it suddenly opens to the Place de Ia République. Here’s the obelisk found about 400 years ago in another Roman site. The rather new town hall is impressive while the St.-Trophime d’Arles from the 12th century seems … less impressive, however, in the church the age of the site is obvious and overwhelming.
When roaming Old Town Arles the are lost of alleyways filled with cafés, bistros, restaurants … shops – sometimes seeming deserted. You may get lost in this maze … although not so vast.
We stumbled across some remains of the Forum Romanorum in Arles … Today a nice area, a place filled with restaurants and space for sitting in the sun. Many a nice detail is to be found …
Finally we started home … Having found the Foundation Vincent Van Gogh – but not visited the museum due to lack of time. Van Gogh lived in Arles for some years and created some of his most famous paintings (in sum about 300
