Nîmes and Arles

Scoured by the mistral and leveled to flat prairie by eons of earth deposits carried south by the Rhône, this region seems to be a raw, endless space broken only by the occasional wildflower-lined gully. Eventually, though, a romantic landscape—colored with lavender, wheat-yellow, vibrant green, and burnt reds—comes into focus.

Only the rocky outcrops of the Alpilles, a small range of low mountains, interrupt this colorful horizon. Along the southern coast, the windswept, wide-open marshlands of the Camargue conceal exotic wildlife—richly plumed egrets, rare black storks, clownish flamingos—as well as domestic oddities like dappled white horses and lyre-horned taureaux, bulls descended from ancient indigenous species. In May and October, the Roma from all over Europe arrive, as they have since the Middle Ages, for a procession to the sea that honors their patron saint, Sarah.

The scenery is surpassed only by the genuine warmth of the people and the feisty energy of their cities. In addition to having a plethora of Roman architectural marvels, in-your-face Nîmes has a raffish urban lifestyle that's most evident in its picturesque old town. Graceful, artsy Arles, harmonious in Van Gogh hues, mixes serious culture with a healthy dose of late-night café life. This town, too, has a Colosseum-like Roman arena. Outside St-Rémy—a chic village that appeals to a cosmopolitan crowd—are the ruins of Glanum, first settled in the 6th century BC.

Add to this mix the miniature fortified towns of Aigues Mortes and Les Baux-de-Provence, Romanesque châteaux and abbeys, and seaside fortresses that launched crusades—all set amid the sun-sharpened landscapes beloved and painted by Van Gogh and Gauguin—and you have a region not only worth exploring, but also savoring.