The City That Drove Van Gogh Mad: Arles

After Les Baux, we drove over to Arles for the evening. This ancient little city was founded by the Greeks in the 6th century B.C. and was an important trading port. It became known as, "The Little Rome", after Julius Caesar established a thriving Roman Colony here. The rich colony was fed by canals and aqueducts, and enjoyed the luxury of sewers and latrines. The colony built thermal baths, a forum, a stadium, theaters, and an arena. The emperor Constantine brought Christianity to Arles when he moved to the city. His son, Constantine II was born in Arles. Luckily for tourists, many ancient ruins still remain, some of them very well preserved. Arles is also the city Van Gogh went wild for, moving here and painting it in over 300 of his pictures. Oh, it's also where he went mad and cut off his ear. Fun fact!

Arles is said to be a pretty festive city with a Spanish flair, but it was quiet the day we were in town. Much of the city seemed to be closed. We still had a great time walking around and checking out the sites.

The first stop on our walk was the Theatre Antique, located in a beautiful shady park area. Augustus began constructing the theater in the 1st B.C. It was once a venue for 20,000 spectators. Now, only two of the Corinthian columns and a row of arches remain inside. Much of the stone was taken from the theater to build Christian churches.

We had a bit of a hike to our next destination, the ruins at Les Alychamps (Elysian Fields). This site was once a Roman necropolis and later became a Christian burial ground for early Christians. The site is now pretty much a park....lined with ancient tombs. It was a favorite spot of Van Gogh's to paint. Les Alychamps was both peaceful and creepy.

"Hey dad, what used to be in these boxes?"

Saint Honoratus Church at the end of the Alyscamps. A beautifully massive mausoleum church, empty except for the pigeons living inside, with its open crypt full of rain water and many windows open or broken. Beautiful during the day, I can't imagine a creepier place to spend a night...

Next we headed towards the Roman Amphitheater, one of the best preserved in the world:

The amphitheater was built in the 1st century. It's four medieval towers were built on for fortification during the Middle Ages. The arena seats 25,000 and is still used today, as a venue for bullfights and concerts. Olé!

After walking around the arena for awhile, we headed to the Place de la  République. A couple of beautiful churches line this square and in the center is a fountain made with a 4th century Roman obelisk.

It was getting dark and rain had started, so we found an open restaurant on the main street through Arles for a bite to eat. I don't remember the restaurant name, but like many establishments in town, it offered sangria and was decorated with pictures of bulls, a poster for an upcoming Gypsy Kings concert, and a stuffed bull head. The food was okay, but the atmosphere was a perfect ending to our time in Arles. Although it was somewhat run down and gave off a bit of a rough vibe (it was the kind of city I wouldn't want to walk alone in at night), Arles was still a very cool little city to visit. The ruins were incredible and it was fun to feel a sort of Spanish vibe after two months in France.