May 30| Arles: Les Alyscamps

When we returned from Les Baux-de-Provence we stopped at Les Alyscamps, a Roman burial ground, which was fascinating. By Roman law, burial grounds were located outside the city wall, to  protect city residents from disease.

 It was looted, especially during the Renaissance, when carved sarcophagi were removed as gifts to visiting dignitaries and others. But for over 1000 years it was a prominent burial ground. Boatmen on the Rhone River brought bodies there for burial. Van Gogh's paintings made it famous in the 20th century. NEXT