Top Roman Sightseeing Sites to See in Orange in Provence, France5 .5.60 -.
The top sight to see in Orange in Provence, Southern France, is undoubtedly the very impressive Roman Ancient Theater – the best-preserved of its kind and the only Roman theater in Europe that kept its stage wall. The second noteworthy sight in Orange is the Arc de Triomphe – the third largest Roman triumphal arch.
Orange's small old town is relatively pretty and worth strolling through. However, on a longer tour of Provence and the French Rhone River Valley, Orange very much is a two-sight town but with UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listed sites worthy of a journey, or at least a day trip from Avignon. The Roman Ancient Theater (Théâtre Antique) in Orange is considered the best-preserved Roman theater in the world and the only one in Europe that still has its stage wall.
The excellent state of preservation and the survival of the original stage wall vastly contributed to the Roman Ancient Theater in Orange being inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. The Roman Ancient Theater in Orange was constructed during the reign of Emperor Augustus and is thus around two thousand years old. The impressive 103 m (338 ft) long stage wall was once described by French King Louis XIV as the finest wall in France. Although most of the marble cladding and other decorations are long gone, a huge 3.5-m (11.5-ft) statue of Emperor Augustus survived and takes pride of place high up, center stage facing the audience.
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