The Romans in France
I was surprised to step off the bus and find a small-scale Colosseum in France! I thought the only one was in Italy. It turns out, the Romans spread their culture throughout their conquered territory and the remains can still be seen in Arles.
A Roman Forum once stood in Forum Square. Today, it offers a variety of cafes where you can get a glass of wine. Another site is the Classical Theater, also built under Roman influence, but only two columns remain. Finally, we saw the Roman Arena. With its capacity to hold 20,000 people it was used for sporting events just like in Rome. |
Van Gogh in Arles
Vincent Van Gogh moved to Arles after leaving Paris. He lived here for two years, enjoying the change of weather, the mountains and the sea. He was inspired to paint, creating about 200 paintings.
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Starry Night over the Rhone was painted here while he visited his favorite spot on the street facing the Rhone River. Amazingly, we were standing in the same spot where Van Gogh completed his masterpiece.
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