Along the Via Agrippa

Orange (week 15)

The Roman city of Arausio was capital of one region of Roman Provence, and therefore contained all the amenities of home, including a theatre.  The theatre has been restored and today is the only example of a complete Roman theatre - including the acoustically vital stage wall - in existence in Europe.  Just outside the city is a triumphal arch across the Via Agrippa, celebrating various battles and triumphs in the region.  The theatre is very impressive, and we all enjoyed climbing the seating for various views of the stage.  It was a good time of year and time of day to come, as the theatre wall faces south-ish - with the lower sun in the fall afternoon the wall was brilliantly lit.

that's Yolanda by the arrow

The city's name transformed over the years from Arausio to Orange.  Incidentally, the "Orange" of the Dutch princes originates from this city, when landholdings of the Holy Roman Principality of Orange were combined in 1544 with holdings in the United Provinces of the Netherlands, due to the personal estates of Prince William the Silent.

Orange's Roman remains are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and they are impressive.  There is still excavation going on, for example next to the theatre where there was a temple complex (of the Cult of the Emperor).  Like the amphitheatre in Arles, the Orange Theatre is used today for plays and concerts, although more of the original seating is intact and not covered by modern metal (except at the very top).  The lighting is also very discreet.  Inside the corridors under the seating you'll find little films detailing the theatre's use.  Whoever picked the clips for the concert film had good taste, as it included samples from concerts by Dire Straits, Frank Zappa, and Elvis Costello.

bundled up against the Mistral

Unfortunately, we were not able to test the acoustics because a real Mistral blew in today - the car was pushed all over the highway, and the temperature dropped 10 degrees (to a high of 15C) compared to the day before.