Move Over Rome! This Less Crowded City In France Also Has A Colosseum
4 min readVespa rides through narrow streets lined with pastel-hued buildings, charming piazzas centered around ornate public fountains, and all that fresh, homemade pasta. And of course, the Colosseum—ah, the absolute marvel that it is! It's no wonder millions of tourists flock to Rome every year: It is a boundless trove of ancient wonders, but if you …
The post Move Over Rome! This Less Crowded City In France Also Has A Colosseum appeared first on Travel Off Path.
Vespa rides through narrow streets lined with pastel-hued buildings, charming piazzas centered around ornate public fountains, and all that fresh, homemade pasta. And of course, the Colosseum—ah, the absolute marvel that it is!
It’s no wonder millions of tourists flock to Rome every year:
It is a boundless trove of ancient wonders, but if you can’t stand the surging crowds or standing in line for hours to visit an attraction, it might not be the idyllic European getaway you’re craving this summer.
Luckily for you, the Romans didn’t stop at the Italian peninsula when building the greatest empire in history—they expanded far and wide across Europe, including what is now France:
Though not as famous as the Eternal City, Nîmes is home to a plethora of Roman monuments, including one of the best-preserved arenas of the Ancient World:
Nîmes Is The Most Italian City In France!
Located in Occitanie—a historically-significant region in the South of France that is often overlooked by tourists who set out for Provence or the French Riviera—Nîmes is oftentimes described as ‘the most Roman city outside Italy’.
Founded in the 1st century BC as Nemausus, a Roman colony in a then-Gaul-majority territory, it became a strategic outpost and religious center of the bygone empire.
Now, Nîmes is essentially an extension of the Italian Peninsula in France, and walking around its labyrinthine Old Town, dotted with picture-perfect piazzas and pastel-hue edifices, you’ll feel like you’re in a more compact, quieter Rome.
Rome may have the Pantheon, dubbed the best-maintained Roman temple still in existence, but Nîmes has the Maison carrée, perhaps second in state of preservation and an essentially unimpaired, 2,035-year-old edifice located right in the center of town.
Dedicated to the dynasties of Gaius and Lucius Caesar, it became a significant symbol of the Imperial Cult—the deification of Roman emperors and their families—and though smaller in size, it is just as impressive as the Pantheon, with its Corinthian columns, ornate portico, and marble steps.
Roman Ruins Galore
Nîmes’ resemblance to Rome isn’t limited to the Maison carrée:
Whereas the Italian capital has the Roman Forum, its smaller French counterpart has the Jardin de la Fontaine, a 17th-century public garden offering tree-flanked pathways, magnificent fountain displays, and, biensûr, plenty of historic ruins.
Most notably, the 1st-century Temple of Diana, with partially preserved vaulted ceilings and niches that once likely held beautifully-carved sculptures, and the Nymphaeum, a water sanctuary later enhanced with Renaissance additions, still fed by the city’s millennia-old spring.
Wait, there’s more: Perched on a hill overlooking the gardens, Tour Magne is a rare example of a Roman-era fortification built in 28 BC, around the same time as Rome’s Mausoleum of Augustus.
A short half-hour drive from downtown Nîmes, there is also a UNESCO-listed Pont du Gard, an aqueduct that used to supply water to Nemausus—much like Rome’s own Park of the Aqueducts, except this one spans a crystal-clear river that doubles as a swimming spot in summer.
Of Course, There’s An Ancient Arena
We’ve saved the best for last:
Les Arènes de Nîmes, or the Nîmes Arena, is the city’s most monumental Roman structure still standing, as well as one of the best-maintained Roman amphitheaters in the world.
Roughly 2.5 times smaller than the Colosseum, it may not be as mighty as its famous counterpart, but it is arguably in better condition.
The outer facade is still largely intact, and visible tiered seating remains, whereas the Colosseums have been destroyed with the passing of time. It also has vaulted corridors.
The arena can also accommodate up to 24,000 spectators, and as a matter of fact, it continues to serve its original purpose:
In summer, it hosts concerts, festivals, and even bullfights, carrying on a millennia-old tradition of entertaining the public—granted, there are no gladiatorial fights anymore, but can you imagine attending a pop concert in a 2,000-year-old venue?
How To Get To Nîmes This Summer
The fastest way to Nîmes this summer is to take a train from one of the larger cities in the South of France, either Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, or Nice, though Nice is farther out.
The journey takes around 50 minutes from Marseille, a bustling Mediterranean port and France’s second-largest city. Tickets average €19–€26.
Aix-en-Provence offers the fastest route, at only 11 minutes and with tickets starting from as cheap as €4–€5, though you’d need to get to Aix by train first, as it does not have an international airport.
Finally, from Nice, which hosts nonstop flights from at least 4 different U.S. cities this summer, including New York and Philadelphia, the train journey takes up to 4h30, and tickets average €60–€70.
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