Amphithéâtre Romain (Roman Amphitheater), Nîmes
The elliptically shaped Amphithéâtre Romain at Nîmes, France is perhaps the best-preserved Roman amphitheater in Europe.
The arena is two stories high, each floor having 60 arches. It was built of huge stones painstakingly fitted together without mortar. Note the small carvings of Romulus and Remus as wrestling gladiators on the exterior and the intricate bulls' heads etched into the stone over the entrance on the north side.
A miniature of the Colosseum in Rome, the amphitheater of Nîmes still stands more than 520 ft long and 330 ft wide and held more than 20,000 people. In Roman times, spectators flocked to the amphitheater to watch gladiatorial combats and theatrical wild-boar and wolf hunts.
Today, the amphitheater used for everything from ballet recitals to bullfights. The corrida, the bullfight, transforms the arena (and all of Nîmes) into a sangria-flushed homage to Spain.
Visitor Information for the Amphithéâtre Romain
| Bd. Victor-Hugo, Nîmes, France | |
| Location: | Place des Arènes, Nîmes, France |
| Phone: | 04-66-76-72-77 |
| Hours: | Apr-Oct 9am-6:30pm daily; Nov-Mar 9am-5:30pm daily |
| Cost: | 4.45€ adults, 3.20€ students and children 15 and under |
