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Musee de l'Arles et de la Provence Antiques Review

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Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence Antiques

  • Address: Presqu'île du Cirque Romain (follow Bd. Clemenceau to N113 and cross over), Arles
  • Phone: 04-90-18-88-88
  • www.arles-antique.org

Fodor's Review:

This is the place to steep yourself in Arles's spectacular classical history. The building was erected on the site of an enormous Roman cirque (chariot-racing stadium). It hides its prehistoric collections in a womblike interior but bathes displays of the Roman renaissance in wall-to-wall daylight. Natural materials and earth colors provide counterpoint to the high culture on display, and a preconceived viewing plan enhances the narrative flow of history (ask for the English-language guidebook). And there's more here than glass cases full of toga buckles. You'll learn about all aspects of Arles in its heyday, from the development of its monuments to details of daily life in Roman times. Perhaps the most instructive and fascinating aspect of this museum is its collection of tiny, precise models: a miniature cirque shows tiny chariots charging around its track, with an unfinished cross section that demonstrates building techniques; the amphitheater, forum, and theater as they were used; and a sophisticated 16-wheel water mill used to grind grain. The quantity of art treasures gives an idea of the extent of Arles's importance. Seven superb floor mosaics can be viewed from an elevated platform, and you exit via a hall packed tight with magnificently detailed paleo-Christian sarcophagi. As you leave you will see the belt of St-Césaire, the last bishop of Arles, who died in 542 AD as the countryside was overwhelmed by the Franks and the Roman era met its end.

  • Cost: EUR 5.50, free the 1st Sun. of every month
  • Open: Mar.-Oct., daily 9-7; Nov.-Feb., daily 10-5
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