The
Celts, Gauls and Romans have left their mark all over France, but
arguably not
as prominently as in Provence. The Gallo-Roman ruins at Glanum are
considered the finest in France. Leaving St. Remy de Provence on
the road to Les Beaux you will find the ruins of Glanum, originally a
Celtic town dating back over twenty five hundred years. The
Musée Archéologique
located at the rue di Parage in St. Remy has a collection of the
artifacts unearthed since 1921, when Glanum was discovered.
The Pont du Gard is said to be the
second tallest standing Roman ruin today, just three feet
shorter than the walls of the coliseum in Rome. The
aqueduct carried fresh water to the city of Nimes, some fifty kilometers
from the source of the water.
Avignon has the best preserved
Medieval walls surrounding the town center, as well as the Palace of the
Popes, built following the move of the papacy to Avignon in 1305. Tours
of the palace are available.
Nimes has a wonderfully preserved
Roman temple, called La Maison Caree as well as an arena and other
antiquities.
Arles has an antique theater as
well as a very well preserved arena, a smaller version of the coliseum
in Rome.
Montpelier and Orange each have an
Arc de Triomphe, monuments built to commemorate Roman victories
Orange has one of the best
preserved Roman Theaters, still used to this day for concerts, and open
to tourists.
Vaison la Romaine has a lovely park
built among Roman ruins in the heart of the town.
Carpentras has the oldest synagogue
in France, dating to the fifteenth century, as well as the city walls
and fortifications and several roman statues and arches inside the old
city.
Additionally, many towns still have
remnants of old fortifications and castles. These can be seen on
hilltops as you drive through the countryside. Vaison la Romaine,
Le Beaux, Barroux are but three of the villages that have castles.
Finally we have the cathedrals,
churches and abbeys, many of them dating back to the twelfth and even
tenth centuries. The cathedral in Marseille is worth a visit, as
is the eighteenth century abbey at Senanque, with its fragrant fields of
lavender.
