Arles

The town of Arles in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France has a population of 53,000. It is a popular tourist destination, famed for its wealth of UNESCO-listed Roman and Romanesque monumental and architectural heritage. Situated just downstream is the fork in the Rhône that forms the expansive Camargue delta. Its location by the Rhône ensured for centuries Arles' significance as a major port. A large part of the Camargue lies within Arles' territory, making the commune the largest in metropolitan France. The origins of the town go back to the Celts, but it became prosperous as part of the Roman Empire, after Julius Caesar distributed the land amongst his favourite legionnaires. Bearing witness to this first 'golden age' are monuments including the 1st century amphitheatre, which was rebuilt in the 19th century and is now used for bullfighting. Bulls are inextricably linked with the Camargue and Arles, corridas are held regularly and the town is home to a bullfighting school. No mention of Arles would be complete without a reference to the post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Fascinated by the Provençal landscapes and the luminosity of his surroundings, he spent his most productive and brilliant period here.