ARLES ❘ CITY FOCUS


Main and below: An aerial view of Arles in all its Roman majesty; the obelisk from Asia Minor stands outside the Église Saint-Trophime


5 MUST-DO EXPERIENCES History buffs, active types and galloping gourmets rejoice – Arles has plenty to keep all of you entertained. Your only problem will be deciding what to do fi rst. To help you out, we’ve put together our top fi ve very favourite things to do, just to help you on your way…


ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE (ARENA) The city’s most in-your-face monument, despite strong competition. Ranked 20th in size in the Roman world, it can still seat 12,500 spectators, against the 21,000 of its heyday. www.arenes-arles.com


SAINT-TROPHIME CHURCH The cloister is a haven of calm behind the bustle of the square in front. Well worth the few euros’ entrance fee for the unusual views from the upper cloister and the array of intricately sculpted fi gures. paroisses-aixarles.fr


ROMAN THEATRE Built a century before the amphitheatre, it is in less good repair after looting across the centuries for building materials. Rediscovered in the 17th century, it still oozes full-on Roman atmosphere. www.arlestourisme.com


VAN GOGH BRIDGE Built in the 19th century and originally named the Langlois Bridge after the man who operated it, it spans the Arles to Bouc canal just outside the city, and was immortalised by Van Gogh. www.arlestourisme.com


THE CAMARGUE Take a tour by car, boat, bike or horseback to discover the unique mix of eco-systems in France’s largest wetland area. Black bulls, white horses and pink fl amingos, to name but a few. www.camargue.com


The combination of Roman and Romanesque art and architecture has earned the city UNESCO World Heritage status, along with the prestigious French label Ville d’Art et d’Histoire. The doorway of Saint Trophime Church on Place de la République, is a 12th-century gem, but don’t just pass by: head inside the cloister to see its carved capitols, intricate friezes and open upper gallery. The obelisk on the square outside is an antiquity carved in a Roman granite quarry in Asia Minor and it originally stood in the Roman circus.


ARTIST’S MUSE


Fast forward to the 19th century and a cold February day in 1888, when Vincent Van Gogh, weary of the hubbub of Parisian life, arrived in Arles looking for light. It was to be the start of his most productive period, resulting in 300 works in just 15 months, including the celebrated Night Café and the Hospital Garden. Sadly you won’t fi nd any of his original works on permanent display in the city, but the locations he painted are everywhere, a dozen of them marked with reproductions of his dramatic pictures such as Starry Night Over The Rhône. Take in the latest exhibition at the Arles Vincent Van Gogh Foundation, which celebrates the artist’s


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IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, GILLIAN THORNTON


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