Page 192 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

190  FR ANCE AND THE L OW C OUNTRIES

The South of France at the end of the 1st century AD,
it is still in use today as a venue
The south is France’s most popular holiday region, drawing for concerts, sporting events,
millions of visitors each year to the resorts of the Riviera and and bullfights.
the Côte d’Azur, and to the vivid landscape and historic The Maison Carrée is an
villages of Provence. Painters such as Cézanne, van Gogh, elegant Roman temple, the
pride of Nîmes. Built by
and Picasso have been inspired by the luminous light and Augustus’ son-in-law Marcus
brilliant colors of the region. Agriculture is still a mainstay Agrippa, it is one of the best
of the economy, but the high-tech industries of Nice also preserved in the world, with
make a significant contribution to the region’s prosperity. finely fluted Corinthian columns
and a sculpted frieze.
Set in the Roman wall is the
Porte d’Auguste, a gateway built
for travelers on the Domitian
Way, which passed through the
center of Nîmes. Nearby is the
Castellum, a tower used for
storing water brought in by
aqueduct. The water was
distributed around the town by a
canal system. A display of Roman
statues and mosaics can be seen
at the Musée Archéologique.
Five floors of Nîmes’ contro-
versial arts complex, the Carré
d’Art, which stands opposite the
Château Comtal, in the restored citadel of Carcassonne Maison Carrée, lie underground.
The complex incorporates a
k Carcassonne portcullises, two iron doors, library, a roof-terrace restaurant
Aude. * 46,000. £ @ k n 28 a moat, and a drawbridge. around a huge glass atrium, and
Rue de Verdun (04-68 10 24 30). A fortress within a fortress, the Musée d’Art Contemporain.
( Tue, Thu & Sat. _ Festival de la the Château Comtal has a
Cité (mid-Jun–Jul), Medieval fête (Oct). surrounding moat and five E Musée Archéologique
∑ tourisme-carcassonne.fr defensive towers. 13 bis Boulevard Amiral Courbet.
Within the Romanesque and Tel 04-66 76 74 80. Open Tue–Sun.
The citadel of Carcassonne is a Gothic Basilique St-Nazaire is Closed Jan 1, May 1, Nov 1, Dec 25.
perfectly restored medieval the famous Siege Stone,
town. It crowns a steep bank inscribed with scenes said to Environs
above the Aude River, a fairy-tale depict the siege of 1209. To the northeast of the city lies
vision of turrets and ram parts the Pont du Gard, a 2,000-year-
overlooking the Basse Ville below. l Nîmes old aqueduct. The Romans
The strategic position of the considered this to be the best
citadel between the Atlantic Gard. * 145,000. k £ @ testimony to the greatness
and the Mediterranean led n 6 Rue Auguste (04-66 58 38 00). of their empire, and at 49 m
to its original settlement, ( daily. ∑ ot-nimes.fr (160 ft) it was the highest
consolidated by the Romans bridge they ever built.
in the 2nd century BC. An important crossroads in the
At its zenith in the 12th ancient world, Nîmes is well
century, the town was ruled by known for its bullfights and
the Trencavels, who built the Roman antiquities. The city has
château and cathedral. The had a turbulent history, and
Cathars, a persecuted Christian suffered particularly in the
sect, were given sanctuary here 16th-century Wars of Religion,
in 1209 but, after a two-week when the Romanesque
siege, the town fell to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame et
Crusaders sent to eradicate St-Castor was badly damaged.
them. The attentions of In the 17th and 18th centuries,
architectural historian Viollet- the town prospered from textile
le-Duc led to Carcassonne’s manufacturing, one of the
restoration in the 19th century. most enduring products being
Flanked by sandstone towers, denim, or serge de Nîmes.
the defenses of the Porte All roads in the city lead to the The Pont du Gard, outside Nîmes, a major
Narbonnaise included two amphitheater, Les Arènes. Built feat of Roman engineering
For hotels and restaurants see pp206–8 and pp209–11

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