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We enjoy our frequent travels through Italy and Franc. If you share our passion for travel in those countries is of interest you may find any of the following of interest:
WEEK THREE
While staying in Vaison-la-Romaine we were able to tour some of the towns and villages in the area. We found Orange to be very interesting.
I had read about the Roman Theatre and was thinking of a coliseum like structure - similar to the what is in Arles. But the theatre in Orange is a dramatic theatre that was used to stage plays. The Théâtre Antique and the Arc de Triomphe are two of the largest Roman structures standing in in Western Europe.
Roman theatre in Orange - exterior |
Roman theatre in Orange |
Arch de Triomphe - Orange |
Built in pre-christian times, with the rise of Christianity, the theatre was ordered closed by the after the fall of Rome. It stood idle for years. Then the town of Orange was invaded and the theatre was sacked and burned. During Medieval times it became its own fortified town with houses and streets. Later during the French Revolution it was converted into a prison. Then, thankfully for us today, in the 1800's, while it was still serving as a prison, efforts were made to reconstruct what could be back to its status as theatre.
As a Roman Theatre the productions lasted the entire day. The theatre had a retractable canvas roof. Built into the side of a hill, the hill forms the nature slope for the rows of seats to rise from ground level to a significant height.
The Arch de Triomphe, built around 20 BC, is covered with intricate frieze and relief, It was built by the Romans to celebrate their victories against the Gauls. Originally built well outside the walls of the town, today it sits in a traffic circle but still stands a regal as ever.
Our next destination is the Abbaye de Sénanque located just outside of the town of Gordes. The Abbaye dates from the 12th Century. So many start at that time as there was a massive expansion in building monasteries across Europe. In the 12th Century over 700 were built.
A community of cistercian monks returned to the abbaye in 1988 and today live and pray in the abbaye. Tours of the abbaye are limited to specific times as this is an "active" abbaye. More information in the Cloisters Site.
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The abbaye church is plain, as nothing was to detract the monks from their prayers. Cistercian Abbayes are known for their extreme simplicity in design. Only light, a symbol of God, is allowed to transform the space. |  |
Our next goal is to stay in the costal town of Cassis. This is one of those towns that arriving without reservations can prove difficult. Traffic is a nightmare and there are few places to park your car while you scout out possible places to stay. Some hotels had rooms but no parking. Our advice. Don't even consider such locations. After hours or finding nothing we do what we always do, move on to the next town.
| We arrive in LaCiotat and things just got better. Don't bypass the tourist office located at the end of the old port. Although they won't make reservations for you, they have a list of what hotel is sold out and that saves some time. LaCiotat has some charm, and it also has a couple of the biggest ship cranes you will ever see. It is a port for oil large ships and the dry docks are the dominate view is you look across the water. Get over it and enjoy the rest of the town. |  |
| We found a room in the very basic Hotel The Rose. Some of the rooms were plain and basic. But this is an example of where you can afford to take the best room in the hotel. We did and our room had a huge patio overlooking the water. At 7:00 pm the hotel door is locked, all the staff leave and you enter via your access code. So you would not want to stay here if you are looking for a full service hotel. |  |
| Of course the thing to do here is to book yourself on one of the boats that take you along the Colanque de Figuerolles - a series or fiords and rock cliffs that are very interesting. |  |
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