Roman France

   

Itinerary    29 September to 6 October 2008 

Day One

Arrival in Avignon by TGV train from London via Lille. Flights can be arranged for those who prefer to fly.

Day Two

We explore the centre of the historic town of Avignon, with a visit to the Papal Palace and the adjoining Cathedral. We may also visit the Petit Palace and Art Gallery.

Then after lunch we cross to Villeneuve les Avignon and see the Monastery of the Chartreuse and some of the Cardinal's palaces.

Day Three

We drive towards Aix en Provence - stopping at the Oppidum of Entremont and its ancient pre-roman civilisation.

In Aix we have lunch and visit the Granet Museum and the Cathedral with its roman Baptistry.

Day Four

We drive towards St Remy de Provence to visit the site of Glanum.  We then continue to Arles where we see the amphitheatre, the theatre, the crytoporticus and the church and cloisters of St Trophine.  

Day Five

We start by visiting the Pont du Gard and then continue to Nimes, the town whose water it provided.  We see the Castellum Aquae fro(the temple to Augustus' adopted sons) and then the amphitheatre.

We also visit the sacred complex surrounding the spring of Nemausus the local water god set in the public gardens. 

Day Six

We set out for Lyon today stopping at Orange to explore the well-preserved theatre and the Triumphal Arch built to commemorate the victories of Tiberius.

Day Seven

In Lyon we visit Lugdunem, the Roman centre of the city with its two theatres on the hillside, and its excellent museum.

After lunch we go to Vienne where we visit the Roman museum of St Romaine en Gal with its famous Mosaic then move to the city centre to see the temple of Augustus and Livia and the gothic cathedral.

Day Eight

Time permitting we can stroll through the medieval streets of Old Lyon surrounding the Cathedral and see the "traboules" the houses where the silk

  

 

To download or print the full itinerary please click here.

To contact us about this Tour telephone 01425 480600 or via email here.

To download or print the Cultural Tours Booking Form click here.

 

See how the Romans lived in France

Classical civilisation was already known in Southern France, brought there by the Greeks, which may explain why it was so readily adopted when the Romans took over.

The Romans were soon seduced by the climate and fertility of the area – they called it affectionately ‘The Province’ from which Provence takes its name.

We are fortunate that so much remains to us from the Roman period – the near perfect temple in Nîmes, the amphitheatres in Arles and Nîmes, alike yet subtly different, all illustrate the constant development and progress made by the Romans as they strive towards perfection.

The magnificent but supremely utilitarian aqueduct across the Gardon River is just one element in the complex technological challenge of bringing water from a spring in Uzes the 37 miles to the city of Nîmes.  And then there are the buildings of later times aspiring to emulate the Roman forms and ways but adapted to contemporary uses and needs; the church of St Trophime in Arles with its superb Romanesque sculpture and the Cathedral and Palace in Avignon built for the Popes (successors to the Emperors) in Exile.

Our tour, starts in Avignon and takes us to the ancient sites of this popular area known nowadays as much for its food and wine as its monuments, later in the week we move up to Lyon, capital of Roman Gaul from where we also explore Vienne.

 

Tour Leader: 

Simon Monckton lives in Provence and is an experienced leader of cultural tours in much of Europe and the Middle East. His main interests are in architecture and art as well as religion, history and music. Simon comes to us warmly recommended by Travellers’ Club members; for this tour he will be leading us through the lovely scenery, towns and villages of his homeland, exploring the great monuments of Provence and beyond.