Changing Of The Gard

From Gard’s beautiful hilltop villages, its dramatic rivers and valleys, to the remarkable Roman history. On our 30th birthday, Brigitte Nicolas lists 30 reasons to live in department number 30

- Brigitte Nicolas

1 ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE

An icon of Gard’s capital city, Nîmes arena is possibly the best-preserved Roman amphitheater in the world. At 133 meters long and 21 meters high, the arena was once able to hold 23,000 people for combat events and was later turned into a fortress in the Middle Ages. Other Roman sites in Nîmes include the Maison Carrée and the Temple of Diana.

2 GLADIATOR GAMES

To make the most of this exceptional piece of ancient heritage, every year Nîmes hosts the Great Roman Games inside the amphitheater, a show that recreates chariot races and gladiator fights with re-enactors dressed in authentic costume.

3 SPIRIT OF THE BULL

Nîmes also puts on to two ‘féria’, a year. In early summer, the Féria de Pentecôte has six days of festivities, while in September – as the bullfighting season ends and grapes are ripe for picking in the vineyards – there are three days of the Féria des Vendanges. Both events see bullfights take place in the arena while in the streets, traditional small brass bands set up and a joyful atmosphere takes hold.

4 CELTIC TOWER

Combine a discovery of local history with a splendid view of the capital at the Tour Magne, an 18-meter-high Celtic tower that stands on Mont Cavalier, once used as a lookout post and later as a telegraph relay station.

5 JARDIN REMARQUABLE

Created in the 18th century on the site of an ancient spring and at the request of King Louis XV, the Jardins de la Fontaine is a space of tranquillity in the heart of Nîmes and is popular with locals to take a stroll in the fresh air.

6 PONT DU GARD