France has some real big

France has some real big hitters when it comes to Roman remains, but smaller surprises can be magical too, says Gillian Thornton Step back in time: The Roman Empire in France Whichever way you look at it, the Roman amphitheatre in Arles packs a serious punch with its towering walls and high tiers of seats, right in the heart of the modern city. A marvel of Roman Gaul, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is just as impressive today as it was 2,000 years ago. Arles Roman Theatre © Gillian Thornton No matter how many pictures you have seen, reality is something else. Stand in line at the entrance and you cannot help but share the same excitement as the citizens of Roman Arelate. The ingenuity of Roman architects and builders is humbling, as too is the fact that so much of their work still stands across 21 st century France, once a key part of the Roman Empire. Many of the largest sites in the ancient Roman province of Gaul are clustered close to the Mediterranean coast and along the strategic trade route of the Rhône Valley, but artefacts and masonry pop up in the most surprising places. The lofty city walls at Le Mans in Pays de la Loire, for instance, with their round towers and geometric brickwork, and the triumphal arch and amphitheatre at Saintes in the Charente Valley. All provide tangible links with an ancient civilisation that still reverberates today. Roman walls in Le Mans © Gillian Thornton Entertainment venues The Romans loved their public spectacles, from bloodthirsty gladiatorial contests in front of animated crowds to open air theatre and poetry readings. An amphitheatre is generally oval, the word ‘arena’ referring to the central performance area, whilst a theatre is semi-circular. Every major city had an amphitheatre and whilst many were dismantled after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and their stone redeployed, many are still in use today. Buy a ticket for your favourite rock band, a classical concert, or Roman re-enactment in Arles or nearby Nimes, and you are following in a tradition going back two millennia. View from behind the 11ft high statue of the Emperor Augustus at the Roman theatre of Orange 46 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 47