Page 152 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

150  PROVENCE AREA B Y AREA

Exploring Arles of the largest and most famous
cemeteries in the Western world.
The city of Arles was a Greek site expanded by the Romans into Romans avoided it at night,
a “little Rome”. Here, on the most southerly crossing point on making it an ideal meeting
the Rhône, they built shipyards, baths, a racetrack and an arena. place for early Christians, led
Then the capital of the three Gauls – France, Spain and Britain – by St Trophime. Christians were
often buried by the tomb of
Arles remains one of the most distinctive towns in Provence Genesius, a Roman servant and
with fine relics from its Gallo-Roman past. Cars should be beheaded Christian martyr.
parked outside the narrow lanes of the old town.
R Eglise St-Trophime
Place de la République. Tel 04 90 96
Just to the southwest of the 07 38. Open daily. Closed 1 Jan,
amphitheatre is the elegant 1 May, 1 Nov, 25 Dec. & cloisters.
Roman Théâtre Antique, which 8 7 ∑ patrimoine.ville-arles.fr
has 2,000 tiered seats arranged This is one of the most beautiful
in a hemisphere. Romanesque churches in
Provence. The portal and cloisters
E Musée Départemental de are decorated with biblical
l’Arles Antique scenes. St Trophime, thought
Presqu’île du Cirque Romain. Tel 04 13 to be the first bishop of Arles
31 51 03. Open Wed–Mon. Closed 1 Jan, in the early 3rd century, appears
1 May, 1 Nov, 25 Dec. & 7 = with St Peter and St John on
∑ arles-antique.cg13.fr the carved northeast pillar.
Arles became Christian after
Constantine’s conversion in AD T Les Thermes de Constantin
312. This museum displays fine Rue du Grand-Prieuré. Tel 04 90 49
Sarcophagi in the historic cemetary of examples of Romano-Christian 38 20. Open daily. Closed 1 Jan,
Les Alyscamps sculpture, while a wing opened 1 May, 1 Nov, 25 Dec. &
in 2013 houses a Roman flat- Built by the Roman emperor
T Les Arènes bottomed barge, rescued from Constantine in 306 AD, these
Rond-point des Arènes. Tel 04 90 49 the Rhône riverbed. once vast public baths fell into
59 05. Open daily. Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, ruin, but were partially restored
1 Nov, 25 Dec & for bullfights and T Cryptoportico at the end of the 19th century.
events. & 8 ∑ arenes-arles.com Place de la République. Tel 04 90 49 The three remaining original
The most impressive of the 38 20. Open daily (mid-May–Oct). buildings attest to the ingenuity
surviving Roman monuments, Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov, 25 Dec. of Roman engineering.
the amphitheatre is on the east & ∑ patrimoine.ville-arles.fr
side of the old town. It was the These huge subterranean galleries E Musée Réattu
largest of the Roman buildings (see p45), ventilated by air shafts, 10 rue du Grand-Prieuré. Tel 04 90 49
in Gaul. Slightly oval, it measures were part of the forum’s structure. 37 58. Open Tue–Sun. Closed 1 Jan,
136 m (446 ft) by 107 m (351 ft) 1 May, 1 & 11 Nov, 25 Dec. &
and could seat 20,000. Mosaics T Les Alyscamps ∑ museereattu.arles.fr
decorated the floors of some Ave des Alyscamps. Tel 04 90 49 38 20. The local artist Jacques Réattu
internal rooms, the better to wash Open daily. Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov, (1760–1833) and his contem-
down after bloody affrays. Today 25 Dec. & 7 poraries form the basis of this
Spanish and Provençal bullfights From Roman to late Medieval collection. A Picasso donation
are held regularly in the arena. times, Les Alyscamps was one and a photographic display are
among 20th-century works.
E Fondation Vincent van
Gogh Arles
35 rue du Dr Fanton. Tel 04 90 93 08
08. Open Tue–Sun (Apr–Sep: daily).
& 7 ∑ fondation-vincent
vangogh-arles.org
Housed in the 15th-century
Hôtel Léautaud de Donines,
this museum has a dynamic
collection of the artist’s paintings
as well as contemporary
artworks highlighting van
Gogh’s influence on 20th-
View of Arles from the opposite bank of the Rhône and 21st-century artists.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp200–1 and pp212–15