Today were visitinh three historically important cities west of Marseille: Nîmes*, Arles and Avignon.
"Nîmes (ancient Nemausus) is located in the Occitania region, just off Provence, not far from Avignon and Arles. Centuries ago, it was an important Roman colony located on the Via Domitia route from Italy to Spain. The city flourished in the 2nd century AD. At that time, it possessed all the important Roman buildings typical of cities of greater importance. Unfortunately, few of them remain.
One of the most important traces of the Roman Empire's presence in what is now France is the Nîmes amphitheater, where infamous gladiatorial fights were held. In reality, the concept of the fights was less brutal than that seen in Hollywood films, and gladiators were usually volunteers, as it meant high salaries and fame.
In the mid-19th century, the amphitheater was converted into a bullfighting arena. In front of the arena stands a statue of Christian Montcouquioli, nicknamed Nimeño II, who performed in the arena and suffered serious injuries. After being thrown into the air by a bull, he fell and was paralyzed."
It's late Sunday morning – the streets of the old town are almost deserted, making it dull… Everything is closed except the restaurants.
A tour of the amphitheater/arena costs €17 per person! We're giving up!
*Why is there a "roof" above and in the city's name?
A roof is one of the five accent marks used in French. (...).
In some cases, this accent plays no specific linguistic role, and its presence is part of the word's history.
