Via Domitia, Narbonne ©

Via Domitia, Narbonne © Gillian Thornton river Gardon. Built in the 1st century AD, the world’s highest Roman aqueduct bridge is part of a 50-kilometre construction that once carried life-giving liquid from Uzès to Nîmes in the modern region of Occitanie. (More on this unique monument coming up in our Summer issue). In the far west of the Mediterranean, Narbonne (Narbo Martius) was the first Roman colony to be founded in Gaul in 118BC. No grand buildings remain although a cobbled section of the ancient Via Domitia - complete with cartwheel ruts - is exposed in the city centre. Head to the edge of town however and Narbo Via museum, opened in 2021, has an exceptional collection of more than 6,000 pieces of Roman sculptures and mosaics found in the area. Surprises Glimpses of the Roman Empire pop up in some surprising places. The Tourist Office in Beziers, for instance, stands on Place du Forum which now exists only in name, but tucked in amongst some nearby buildings is the distinctive shape of the 1st century amphitheatre. Head north through Occitanie and nestled within a loop of the Lot Valley, the heritage city of Cahors reveals little of its importance Tucked amongst modern buildings, 1st Century Roman amphitheatre, Beziers © Gillian Thornton as the Gallo-Roman town of Divona Cadurocorum, but look carefully. A section of the public baths and the amphitheatre wall are visible through glass on the first floor of the Amphitheatre Car Park. Above ground, look out for the Arc de Diane, the main vestige of the city’s Roman baths. North again to Dordogne and a museum of Roman art and archaeology surround the remains of a wealthy urban villa that now lies beneath a glass roof in the centre of Périgueux, previously the Gallo-Roman town of Vesunna. The nearby Vesunna Tower is all that remains of an important temple. Few Roman remains exist in modern Poitiers to show that the ancient town of Limonum once had an amphitheatre seating more than 30,000 people. The amphitheatre and public baths were demolished in the 19 th century, small sections of masonry being incorporated into other buildings. But at Sainte-Croix museum, a section of Roman foundations are visible beneath the floor, whilst rare fragments of gladiator helmets bring the drama of the city’s arena tangibly close. And looking on is a marble statue of Athena, discovered barely a century ago during construction work and proving that Roman treasures may still await lie beneath our feet. Spine-tingling stuff! 50 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 51