Monday 13 June 2011

Vienne - Roman remains

Our rest day was, as usual, spent walking all over the place and up lots of stairs - in this case Roman ones! During the past 100 years various excavations in Vienne have resulted in new finds and archeological work is ongoing. Some of the buildings, however, have lasted relatively intact and there are temples, arches and a magnificent amphitheatre which is currently used for the annual Jazz festival. It could hold over 10,000 people and was empty when we visited today. I spoke from the stage and Julie could hear me very clearly from the top steps. From my perspective, my voice echoed and sounded quite loud. The excavated city across the river has intricate and beautiful mosaics, rich merchants' houses, a market area, underfloor heating systems, drains and tunnels etc and you can walk around it all. The museum contains items found on the site and reconstructed mosaics and murals.

Arch in the town centre



The Roman Theatre



"Friends, Romans and countrymen."




View from our cafe



On the bridge between Vienne and St Romain en Gal



Roman excavations at St Romain en Gal




The Pyramide
This was copied from Egypt and placed in the middle of the chariot racing course.



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Location:Place des Allobroges,Vienne,France

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