Arles (France)

Arles is the largest city in France with the surface area being 758km2. It is encircled by an environment of exceptional beauty: the banks of the Rhône river, the arid plains of Crau, the Alpilles and the untamed land of Camargue. Once a metropolis of Roman Gaul, then Arles became a symbole of ardent Christianity as can be seen through the arena, the Alyscamps burial grounds, the amphitheater and the Roman baths of Constantin. Arles is now the gateway to Camargue, land of the Gypsies and meeting place of the Camargue cowboys, Today the ferias or bull runs and bull fights are held in this very same arena (12,000 seats) that was the scene of the Roman games in the first century! City of festivals, art, and culture, Arles has never stopped attracting artists. Van Gogh stayed here with his friend Gaugain. Picasso, a lover of bull fights, was inspired by them to do two paintings and 57 drawings. Arles is also a center of photography. Each summer the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie brings many visitors. The Roman monuments of Aries are registered with Unesco and should be seen, The houses and private mansions of the 16th and 17th centuries, the cloister of St. Trophime, the Hôtel de Ville, and the shaded terraces of the Place des Lices are all well worth a tour.