June 18 Arles

As we have mentioned in an earlier post, there are many Roman ruins in this part of the world, and you could spend many days trying to see them all.  You read posts about which ones are "must see" and there are varying opinions on each site.  We decided to try out Arles, because aside from Roman sites, there are many other things to see.  Arles has a great deal where you pay 9 € for a passport, and you can pick any four sites and one museum, we chose the Théâtre Antique, Amphithéâtre Cryptoportiques du Forum and the cloister of Saint Trophime church.  Arles is also known for the 18 months Van Gogh spent here painting, but we did not focus on this.  We also walked out to the Musee Departmental Arles Antique which is supposed to be a very good museum on Roman antiquities; however, it was closed on Tuesday.  This is a risk in visiting anywhere in France: there is no rhyme or reason to the random days of the week chosen for tourist venues to be closed, even when, like Arles, a very significant proportion of the economy is dependent on it.

The amphitheatre dating from about 90 AD is still in use for bullfighting and other events, having been extensively rehabilitated over the last 150 or so years. Walking through the inner circle with its rock walls and dirt floor, you can almost imagine gladiators and lions, and the things that have occurred over the years.  

Amphithéâtre  (43°40'37.7"N, 4°37'49.2"E)

Amphithéâtre (43°40'38.4"N, 4°37'51.9"E)

The Théâtre Antique is also Roman, dating from the first century BC, and it too is being used for concerts and theatrical purposes. 

Théâtre Antique (43°40'35.4"N, 4°37'45.7"E)

One of the most interesting things was the Cryptoportiques du Forum, which we had read nothing about and had no expectations for.  You walk into the Hôtel de Ville (town hall), walk down some stairs and go below present day Arles and suddenly before you is this amazing gallery, dating from about 25 BC,  built as a base for the forum.  We were walking below present day Arles.  On this hot day we appreciated the cool subterranean air down there.  A small portion of the former walls of the forum are still visible in the Place du Forum where it was incorporated in the walls of a current building.

Cryptoportiques (43°40'36.3"N, 4°37'38.9"E)

This guy was playing Gypsy Kings music at the entrance to the cloisters.  He was very good.  The Gypsy Kings are from and live in Arles.  As luck would have it, they are doing a concert there on June 27, the day we leave France next week, otherwise we would definitely have gone.

Here we are  on the roof of the cloisters with the tower of St Trophime in the background.