Roman Sites & Museums in Occitanie

Better known for the remains of a Roman bridge, painted by Gustave Courbet, Ambrussum is a complex archaeological site with much to see. The bridge, built around 30 BC, carried the Via Domitia over the Vidourle River. On the western side of the river is the remains of a staging post, overlooked by a Gallic oppidum – the ramparts of which included 21 towers. An onsite museum sets out the significance of the bridge, the settlement and the Via Domitia. Free to visit, this is an idyllic spot for a picnic. Plan on 2 to 3 hours to see everything.

The amphitheatre in Nîmes is widely regarded as one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres. So well preserved is the structure that it is still used for a variety of events, although since 2009 it is in the process of being restored – a project that will last at least 25 years. It was built around 100 AD, shortly after the Colosseum in Rome, with an estimated seating capacity of 24,000. The amphitheatre was just inside the city wall, the position of which is marked in the paving surrounding the arena.

Pliny writes of a small fishing village in tidal marshes, but excavations begun in the 1960s soon revealed that the settlement was much more substantial. What started out as a shoreline landing stage for Etruscan, Punic and Greek traders in the 6th century BC developed into a major Roman port of more than 12 ha. By the 2nd century AD the settlement was abandoned due to rising sea levels, it was subsequently covered in silt. As an ongoing excavation, the site is rarely accessible, but it is visible from the onsite museum, which is well worth a visit.

Le Castellum Aquae in Nîmes (also called the castellum divisorium de Nîmes) is at the end of the 50 kilometre aqueduct (known as the Nîmes Aqueduct) that brought water from from a spring near Uzès, the Eure Fountain, to what was then the Roman city of Nemausus. Although the ruins seem quite simple and unassuming and tucked away in a side street of Nîmes, there is only one other castellum divisorium from the Roman world that is better preserved, and that is at Pompeii.

The Maison Carrée is the only Roman temple to be so completely preserved. The Corinthian-style temple was built by Augustus, and dedicated to two of his adopted sons – Caius and Lucius. It was placed on a podium overlooking the city’s forum or public gathering place. Other architectural features of the forum can be seen today. By virtue of its size the temple would have dominated not only the forum, but also the city, reminding locals of the rule of Rome. Napoleon had the neoclassical Église de la Madeleine in Paris modelled on the Maison Carrée.

The medieval fortified city of Carcassonne, known locally as la Cité, is one of the most popular destination for visitors to the south of France. The citadel has been occupied since prehistoric times, but it was the Romans who first built a series of walls, parts of which can still be seen. These were added to by the Visigoths, Crusaders and other. As spectacular as the imposing walls are, much of what we see today is the result of 19th century restorations, which are not accurate. But well worth a visit, even with the tourists, for the Roman and Medieval ramparts, the Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus, and the medieval castle & museum.

Today Pont du Gard is a popular tourist attraction at a spot on the Gardon River favoured by locals to pass the time on a sunny day. Back in the 1st century AD the three tiered aqueduct was a critical part of a 50-kilometre long system that carried water from a spring just outside Uzès to the Roman colony of Nemausus, modern-day Nîmes. Roman architects created a technical masterpiece, standing over 50 m high, and 275 m long at the highest point. The lower level served as bridge well into the Middle Ages, long after the aqueduct ceased transporting water.

On the plains below the hilltop medieval town of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, are the extensive and partly excavated remains of a Roman city. Established between 20 and 15 BC, the settlement was at the crossroads of two important commercial roads linking the Pyrenees with the Garonne. Remanants of a large bathhouse, theatre and various public buildings can be explore. Vandals attacked the city in 405 AD, forcing inhabitants onto the citadelle – remains of their ramparts can still be seen.

In the centre of Narbonne’s town square is a cleverly exposed section of Roman road. This was the Via Domitia, the first Roman road to have been built in Gaul and it enabled the movement of soldiers and traders between Italy and Spain. The town of Narbo Martius was established here in 118 BC, taking advantage of the junction between the Via Aquitania and the Via Domitia, as well as the potential then for a port. It was a successful colony and later became the capital of Gallia Narbonensis.