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Fold 1Historic Provence
and Côte d’Azur
Once part of Roman Gaul, Provence is crammed
with Roman treasures, medieval villages and
dazzling modern-art relics.
Roman
Medieval 19th & 20th centuries
ÈZE
This rocky little village perched on
an impossible peak is one of the
greatest delights of the Riviera.
The main draw is the medieval
village itself, with small higgledy-
piggledy stone houses and
winding lanes, and mesmerising
views of the coast. The best
panorama is from Jardin Exotique
d’Èze, a cactus garden at the top of
the village, where you’ll also find
castle ruins (eze-tourisme.com).PALAIS DES PAPES
The largest Gothic palace ever
built, Avignon’s Palais des Papes
was erected by Pope Clement V,
who abandoned Rome in 1309.
It served as the seat of papal
power for seven decades, and its
immense scale provides ample
testament to the medieval might
of the Roman Catholic church.
A joint ticket (£11) also gets
you access to the 1185 Pont
St-Bénezet (palais-des-papes.
com; Place du Palais; 9am–8pm
Jul, to 8.30pm Aug, shorter hours
Sep–Jun; £9.50).GRIMAUD
This postcard-perfect medieval
hilltop village sits two miles inland
from the Golfe de St-Tropez. It’s
crowned with the dramatic shell
of Château du Grimaud, built in
the 11th century, fortified in the
15th century, destroyed during
the Wars of Religion (1562–98),
rebuilt in the 17th century, and
wrecked again after the French
Revolution of 1789. Magical
evening concerts are held within
the ruins during Les Grimaldines
music festival in July and August
(grimaud-provence.com).PONT DU GARD
The extraordinary three-tiered
Pont du Gard, 12 miles northeast of
Nîmes, was once part of a 30-mile
system built around 19 BC to
transport water from Uzès to
Nîmes. You can walk across the
tiers, but the best perspective is
from downstream, along the
Mémoires de Garrigue walking trail
(pontdugard.fr; 9am–11.30pm
Jul–Aug, shorter hours rest of year;
£7.20).ARLES
In 49 BC Arles’ prosperity soared
when it backed a winner in Julius
Caesar. It became the region’s
major port under his rule and
retains many Roman delights.
Highlights include its impressively
intact theatre, amphitheatre,
Roman baths, crypt and forum. The
Passeport Avantage (£14) covers
many sites. The town was also once
home to Van Gogh and has a
fantastic Saturday market
(arlestourisme.com).ORANGE
Untouristy Orange’s monumental
Roman theatre is unquestionably
one of France’s most impressive
historic sights. It’s one of only three
intact Roman theatres
in the world, and its sheer size is
awe-inspiring: designed to seat
10,000 spectators, with the stage
wall towering 37m high, 103m wide
and 1.8m thick (theatre-antique.
com; Rue Madeleine Roch;
9am–7pm Jun–Aug,
shorter hours rest of year; £8).AIX-EN-PROVENCE
Provence pin-up Aix has a full suit:
a Roman lineage dating from 123
BC, a wonderful medieval core and
an important artistic son,
Paul Cézanne. Walk the Circuit de
Cézanne, swing by his last studio,
the Atelier Cézanne (atelier-
cezanne.com; 9 Av Paul Cézanne),
and visit the Musée Granet
(museegranet-aixenprovence.fr;
Place St-Jean de Malte; noon–
6pm Tue–Sun; £4.50).FONDATION MAEGHT
Many of Europe’s key 20th-
century artists found inspiration in
Provence. This fabulous museum
near Nice provides an unmissable
overview: from pieces by Georges
Braque, Vassily Kandinsky and
Marc Chagall to spooky sculptures
by Giacometti and glassworks by
Miró. It’s outside the walled town
of St-Paul de Vence (fondation-
maeght.com; 623 Chemin des
Gardettes; 10am–7pm Jul–Sep,
to 6pm Oct–Jun; £13).Cafés outside Avignon’s Palais
des Papes, a World Heritage siteStroll downstream to admire the
glorious Roman-era Pont du GardAix’s inspiring Atelier Cézanne
preserves the artist’s final studioFold 2MINI GUIDE
LA CROISETTE
Seafront hotel palaces dazzle in
all their Art-Deco glory along
Cannes’ Boulevard de la Croisette- the preserve of the rich and
famous, but also a favourite
promenade for Cannois at night,
when it twinkles with bright lights.
Legendary addresses include
the Martinez and the Carlton
InterContinental, with twin
cupolas allegedly modelled on the
breasts of the courtesan La Belle
Otéro (cannes-destination.com).
The medieval hilltop
village of Èze, with its
dreamy coastal views