France’s fifth most-visited site, the arches of this wonder of Roman architecture straddle the River Gardon, defying the laws of balance and the ravages of time and admired by tourists, fascinated by the ingeniousness of the builders of long ago.

Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. Or rather, let us remind ourselves of what his architects actually built: the Pont du Gard is not a bridge, it’s an aqueduct! Built in the 1st Century A.D., it is only the visible part of a massive water conveyance project.

The Romans had the idea of going to Uzès to seek the precious liquid to supply Colonia Augusta Nemausus (Nîmes), which was rapidly growing at the time. The system is 50 km long and is mostly underground. The crossing of the Gardon, the visible part of the “iceberg”, illustrates the genius of the Roman builder: nearly 500 metres long across the highest section and nearly 50 metres high. Some of the blocks of stone, which are not joined together by cement, weigh up to eight tonnes, a weight that takes nothing away - quite the contrary - from the grace of the whole structure, an effect probably created by the elegance of the arches, with those in the upper row being slightly smaller than the others.

What is also remarkable is that the bridge has stood up to the ravages of time. Floods have not managed to carry it away, and it has not been damaged by war. It has not even suffered from the abandonment of its original function shortly before the year 1000, when Nîmes finally discovered springs closer to home.

In modern times, this harmony has been restored with great intelligence. The redevelopment of the site a few years ago removed all unnecessary building, to the delight of visitors, who find themselves suddenly plunged into the early days of the civilised world ...