Mon Oct 16th

Another day another Roman ruin. Are you sure we're in France? We did make an effort on this trip to track down every place the Romans had a significant presence. As I mentioned earlier the very density of all this stuff really helps to get a picture of what life in those days was like. Orange was founded right after Julius Caesar's full conquest of Gaul, by veterans of the Roman Army.  So when Caesar Augustus established the Pax Romana it was ready to blossom into a center of civilization, as the founders were keen to emulate anything Roman. The two surviving Roman structures are the theater and a grand triumphal arch. The theater is first.

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As grand as this place looks it was originally much more grand. The columns embedded in the wall are all that remain of 44 original ones. That massive stone back wall provided great acoustics too. A steady bill of plays and concerts are held here in the warmer months.

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The other Roman antiquity to check out is the triumphal arch that stands at the original north gate to the town. 

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IMG_8157 _8509447 Looking at these two grand examples of Roman architecture, one does get the picture of a provincial town trying very hard to emulate the mother country and create a miniRome.

On the way home we stopped in at Chateauneuf du Pape. This village just north of Avignon that is the center of the Chateauneuf du Pape wine growing region, one of the more renowned in the world. It is a must stop for wine lovers, hence, we stopped! What we were finding, and would see again, was that this time of year not a lot was open during the week. We still tasted some wine and bought a few bottles.

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The castle that guards the town was damaged during the religious wars of the 17th century so less than half of the original complex is still standing. The Avignon Popes had built it and used it as a summer residence.

IMG_8186    Tomorrow back to the Middle Ages.