Arles
written by azurblue
on April 27th, 2008
(3 votes)
Arles is an ancient city in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône county. Arles was established by the Greeks as early as the 6th century BC. The Romans took the town in 123 BC and expanded it into an important city, with a canal link to the Mediterranean Sea being constructed in 104 BC. However, it struggled to escape the shadow of Massalia (Marseille) further along the coast.
You can visit the theatre, the amphitheater, where the Feria takes place in Easter. The painter Vincent van Gogh, who arrived there on 21 February 1888 was fascinated by the Provençal landscapes, producing over 300 paintings and drawings during his time in Arles. Many of his most famous paintings were completed there, including The Night Cafe, the Yellow Room, Starry Night Over the Rhone, and L’Arlésienne. Paul Gauguin visited van Gogh in Arles. A famous photography festival (Les rencontres internationales de la photographie, aka RIP) takes place in Arles every year during the summer since 1970, and the French national school of photography is located there. The major French publishing house Actes Sud is also situated in Arles.
How to get there? You can take the plane to Marseille, and then take a bus or the train. It’s also easy to come directly from Paris with the TGV.
“http://www.tourisme.ville-arles.fr/us/index_us.php”: http://www.tourisme.ville-arles.fr/us/index_us.php
http://www.rencontres-arles.com/
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