The Romans in the Rhône in Europe

Brochure

Click here to download our Escorted Tours 2010.

Dates

20th - 26th September 2010

Tour Leader

Antonia Lloyd Owen joined Specialtours in 2002 with a degree in History of Art & Architecture and a good understanding of the Decorative Arts.  Having lived in Spain and worked in Germany and Austria, she feels comfortable in these countries and has since widened her interest to Scandinavia and the Baltics.  She has organised and accompanied tours for The Art Fund and several American groups, including a garden tour in Morocco for The American Horticultural Society.

Guest Lecturer

Clare Ford-Wille - Art historian, Clare Ford-Wille, has for many years lectured to numerous prestigious organisations including the University of London, the National Gallery, the Wallace Collection, the V&A, the Royal Academy, the National Trust and other societies. She has worked for leading Old Master dealers in London and been employed as an art historian by the Central University of Iowa and Stanford University, California. She contributed to the National Gallery's CD-Rom sound guide and the Companion Guide to European Art.

Costs

COST PER PERSON: £2,685
Single supplement: £430

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For a period of almost six centuries the Romans occupied Gaul, including what is today known as Provence and the Rhône Valley. The legacy of this period is evident in the towns that they founded here and the remarkable archaeological remains across the region.

Based in the city of Avignon, once a flourishing Roman city but medieval in appearance today, we explore the surrounding countryside in search of evidence of Roman occupation.  These excursions will include Nîmes, a powerful and prosperous Roman city renowned for its incomparable Maison Carrée - an exquisite well-preserved 1st century temple, as well as the great Amphitheatre and the 18th century Jardins de la Fontaine which cover part of the Roman city.  The majestic Pont du Gard aqueduct, which carried water for some 900 years, is a marvel of Roman engineering, while the city of Arles is known for its fine amphitheatre, necropolis of Les Alyscamps and Romanesque Église St. Trophime.  In the Rhône Valley, Orange has a magnificent semi-circular theatre and triumphal arch, whilst the picturesque town of Vaison-La-Romaine has a 1st century bridge and Roman villas, complete with mosaics.  At St-Rémy-de-Provence are the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Glanum.  We also explore medieval Avignon with its imposing Palais des Papes, and enjoy a day in the beautiful landscape of the Vaucluse visiting the Romanesque Abbaye de Sénanque and the Fontaine de Vaucluse, a picturesque site dear to the great poet and humanist, Petrarch,

Day 1: Monday, 20th September

London / Avignon
Depart St. Pancras International Station on the Eurostar mid-morning train to Paris Gare du Nord. 

On arrival transfer to Gare de Lyons and board the train to Avignon.   Transfer to the Hotel Clôitre St. Louis, an attractive 16th century hotel in the centre of Avignon, where six nights are spent.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 2: Tuesday, 21st September

Avignon & Nimes
Drive to Nîmes where visits include the Maison Carrée or 'Square House', the best preserved temple of the Roman world, and the 1st century Amphitheatre with seating for 24,000. The 18th century Jardins de la Fontaine offers a welcome shady walk to discover the Roman ruins of the Temple of Diana and the 15 BC Tour Magne which has fine views of Mont Ventoux.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Continue to the Pont du Gard, built in 19 BC.  This spectacular three-tiered acqueduct is evidence of brilliant Roman engineering.  Return to Avignon.  Dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 3: Wednesday, 22nd September

Avignon & Arles
Drive to Arles where visits are planned to two well-preserved Roman sites, the impressive Amphitheatre and Roman Theatre, and to two fine examples of Romanesque art, the cloisters and doorway of the 12th century L'Eglise St. Trophime.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Walk through Les Alyscamps, which from Roman times to the late Middle Ages was one of the largest and most famous necropolises in the Western world and contains impressive sarcophagi from this period.  Return to Avignon.  Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 4: Thursday, 23rd September

Avignon, Orange & Vaison-la-Romaine
Drive to Orange where visits include the very fine Roman Theatre, the best preserved in the Roman Empire, and still in use today, and to the Triumphal Arch, built circa 20 BC to commemorate Julius Caesar's conquest of the Gauls and victory over the Greek fleet at Actium. 

Continue for lunch in the charming town of Vaison- la-Romaine where Provençal life continues around the excavated Roman town in the Quartier de Puymin and Quartier de la Villasse, which will be visited in the afternoon.  Return to Avignon, driving through the beautiful countryside of the Dentelles de Montmirail.  Dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 5: Friday, 24th September

Avignon & Gordes
Visit the 14th century Palais des Papes, the grand fortress-like palace of the exiled Popes for over 100 years. The massive exterior belies the magnificence of the papal apartments delicately decorated with exquisite frescoes.

Lunch in a local restaurant near the picturesque hilltop village of Gordes before visiting the beautifully sited Cistercian Abbaye de Sénanque, founded in 1148.  Continue to the Fontaine de Vaucluse, source of the Sorgue river and one of the natural wonders of Provence.  Return to Avignon.  Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 6: Saturday, 25th September

Avignon
Drive to the attractive town of St Rémy de Provence built on the site of the Graeco-Roman town of Glanum and made famous through its association with Van Gogh.  En route visit the ruins of Glanum pass Les Antiques, impressive Roman monuments in the form of a mausoleum and triumphal arch, dating from circa 30 BC.

Lunch at a local restaurant in St. Rémy de Provence.  Return to Avignon for an afternoon at leisure.  Farewell dinner in a local restaurant. 

Day 7: Sunday, 26th September

Avignon / London
Morning transfer to the railway station for the Eurostar to Lille and onwards to London, arriving St. Pancras International Station in the evening.