Only a few kilometres north of Avignon, Orange owes its fame to two outstanding Roman monuments, the Arc de Triomphe and the Ancient Theatre. But, did you know that the town was also seat of a principality that ruled over Holland and even England?

A city of retired people. No, this is not the social reality of the town today, but rather the reason for its prosperity in Roman times. In 35 B.C., the Romans decided to set up a colony for retired 2nd Legion veterans in Orange. The town developed rapidly, building a number of imposing monuments.

Only two have survived to this day, but what wonderful monuments! The first, the Arc de Triomphe, can be seen when you arrive from the north on the main N7 trunk road. An astonishing arch over twenty metres high, which has retained most of its original decoration.

Once in the town, everyone rushes to see the second of these treasures, the Ancient Theatre, which can hold up to 7,000 people and is the only theatre in the world to still have its stage wall. The excellent acoustics can be heard during the ‘Chorégies d’Orange’, a festival of music and opera, which attract music-lovers to the arena every year.

Following this period, the history of Orange took on a more ‘northern’ flavour. Alliances linked Orange with the German town of Nassau. This royal house extended its influence by governing Holland and, in the 16th Century, even ruled over England. The princes of Orange were famous throughout Europe. Only a few traces of their reign can be seen today. The national colour of Holland is orange and the Batavian colonies in America and South Africa called many towns and rivers ‘Orange’.

Is this why our Dutch friends are so drawn towards Provence?