The Cryptoporticos of Arles

To amuse myself for 2 days whilst RobT was doing photographic stuff I bought a ticket which gave me entry into the best things to see in Arles.

Today I did the Roman cemetery, the cloisters, a church, the Cryptoporticos, the Roman baths and a museum.

The Cryptoporticos are underneath what is the town hall and Place de la Republique. On this site was a Roman Forum with the only bit being left is a bit of a temple in Place du Forum. The forum needed strong foundations in order to hold a vast terrace and these are the Cryptoporticos.

Originally they would have been above ground but as the ground level has changed the northern part is under Place du Forum and the southern is under the town hall.

It was quite fascinating to be able to walk around this and see the workmanship that had gone into building something that has lasted all these years.

The blip is not the sharpest and the flash brightens up the shot. It was much darker than shown here and a bit musty - a little like walking around a very big cellar.