Narbonne

Roman Name: Narbo Martius

Narbo Martius was the capital city of the Roman province of Gaul.

Three connected sites:

1. Roman Road: The Via Domitia runs right through the center of this town near the site of the Horreum listed below.

2. Musee Lapidaire: This museum has two unforgettable things to see.
   A. Its "wall of stones" works with an interactive digital station that allows viewers to look up any stone they see and find out its dimensions, its origin, its use, etc.
   B. A giant wooden anchor that is STUNNING to see. The museum focuses on its history of Roman ports.

3. Horreum: This underground site was a wonderfully cool respite during a hot day. 

4. Amphoralis: This site was dedicated to producing amphorae, or large clay storage jars. It included a small museum and a walking trail to see the archaeological remains of kilns and other structures for the clay workers.

Tickets can be bought online to all three sites at this Website.

Carpark: The first two sites are in the city center so parking was tricky, but Amphoralis is not inside the city so it was easy to park there.

Nathalie's Pictures

Nimes

Roman Name: Colonia Nemausus

Sites to see:

1. Musee de la Romanite: This museum had marvelous displays and videos on how the Romans built their amphitheaters.

2. Amphitheater: This arena hosts modern shows like concerts and bullfights, but also ancient Roman re-enactments every August at a festival called . Visitors can still see the original corbels (holes) for the masts that held the shade awning for Roman gladiatorial shows.

3. Maison Carree: This ancient Roman temple is supposedly the most complete one in the ancient Mediterranean. It houses an exhibit that discusses how it was built.

4. Nymphaeum or Temple of Diana: This site is in Les Jardins de la Fountaine (a beautiful city park) near the Toure Magne. Its natural spring was surely a draw in ancient times, and now, you can see amazing historic graffiti, some as old as the 1700s, scratched into it.

5. Toure Magne (Augustus' Tower): This tower was built during the reign of Augustus, but its purpose is unclear. It's a wonderful place to see the whole city of Nimes.

6. Castellum Divisiorum: This water distribution center, near the Toure Magne, was the terminus of the Nimes aqueduct. It's unique in the Roman world as it shows where the multiple pipes distributed water to different areas of the city.

Parking is not available at any of these sites because they are inside the city. Walking and public transportation will be best.

Information about tickets can be found here.

Click here to see Nathalie's pictures.

Orange

Roman Name: Arausio

Sites to see:

1. Theater: This well-preserved site still hosts modern concerts and shows. It contains displays on the Roman theater experience in rooms on its outer rings.

2. Museum of Art and History: Across the street from the museum, this tiny museum contains an interesting land document in marble and some great marble sphinxes.

3. Triumphal Arch: This arch is spectacular. Constructed under Tiberius, the arch celebrates the 2nd Gallic Legion under Augustus, founders of the city.

Both the theater and the arch are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Parking is easily accessible at the arch (right across the street), but the theater and museum are right in the middle of town so a little harder to access.

Click here to see Nathalie's pictures.

Vaison La Romaine

Roman Name: Vasio Vocontiorum

Website

Sites to see:

1. Archaeological site: The site is divided into two sections:
   a. the Villasse contains a beautiful example of a Roman road, a large swimming pool, and an aqueduct.
   b. the Puymin section contains the theater and archaeological museum referenced below.

Both sites contain wonderful examples of stone Roman toilets!

2. Museum: This museum houses the artifacts from the site is located inside the site. I gasped at seeing a water heater!

3. Bridge: This single-arch bridge has survived two floods and still sustains modern vehicular traffic.

4. Gallic town on the hill (now a beautiful Medieval village)

Parking is easily accessible at the Villasse, and the Puymin section is across the street. The bridge is about a 7-minute walk from the archaeological sites on the way to the medieval village.

View Nathalie's pictures here.

Arles

Roman Name: Arelate

Website

Sites to see:

1. Alchamps: This site was the necropolis of the Roman city of Arelate. Made famous by painters of the late 1800s, it has survived with the remains of some marble tombs still there. A lovely walk!

2. Amphitheater: This arena still hosts modern shows, including bullfighting.

3. Theater: This theater also hosts modern concerts and shows. It's a beautiful structure with original marble floors and seats.

4. Cryptoporticus: This underground area comprises the storage rooms underneath the original Roman forum. Nice, cool spot for a hot summer day!

5. Baths of Constantine: The remains of this bath complex are rather small, but there are some excellent examples of the hypocaust (or bath heating) system commonly used in Roman baths.

6. Archaeological Museum: This incredible museum houses an amazing classical collection, but the star of the show is Rhone-Arles 3, a ship excavated from the nearby river.
   
   Check out Nathalie's pictures here.

Glanum

Roman Name: Glanum

Website

Sites to see:

1. Ancient city: This lovely site archaeological site showcases a Roman road, the remains of a temple, and a sanctuary with a natural spring. Walking through it felt like walking through an actual ancient Roman town.

2. Arch: Right across the street from the city, visitors can find the monumental arch that welcomed people to the town.

3. Museum: The tiny museum is located off-site in the modern city center of Saint-Remy-de-Provence. It contains a sparkling ancient crystal ring among other artifacts found at the town.

Parking is readily available at the archaeological sites. The museum is in the city center so parking is more complicated.

Take a look at Nathalie's pictures, linked here.

Marseille

Roman Name: Massilia

Website

Sites to see:

1. History Museum: This museum featured a wonderful yard of ship ghosts to catch the viewer's eye. Its museum contained three Roman ships excavated from the harbor of Marseille as well as a reconstructed necropolis from a later Christian period.

2. Museum of Roman Docks: This museum is currently closed.

3. Mediterranean Archaeology Museum: I did not get to visit this museum but would love to one day in the future.

Nathalie's pictures are linked here.

Gallic Oppida

These sites focused on Gallic culture right before or right after the Roman invasion. Many of these sites contained copious artifacts from the Roman period. These helped me understand the melding of cultures that happened during the Roman invasions of the 1st C BCE and CE.

Sites to see:

1. Enserune: The museum at this site was exceptional. The site, near Narbonne, focused on the gigantic dolia (over 60 of them) found in the ground. There was so much pottery here! 

2. Lattara: This site, near Montpellier, was one of my favorites to visit. The museum contained large dolia storage jars and LOTS of artifacts and models. A LOVELY place to visit!

3. Nages: This large site, near Narbonne, requires visitors to hike quite a distance to get to the actual site. Once there, you can see impressively reconstructed walls and a small conical structure.

4. Entremont: This tiny site, near Aix-en-Provence, was in someone's backyard. It contained a large olive oil press. Nearby, a local farmer grows fields of lavender.

Nathalie's pictures are linked here.