As WHS and cities go, this isn’t among the best. I visited Orange on a half-day trip from Avignon. I arrived by train (the ride takes only 14 minutes) and walked to both monuments that lie about 10 minutes away. The city looks somewhat impoverished and doesn’t invite you to linger after you’ve seen the WHS. It is run by a far right-wing mayor, and I wonder if his election was the result of the decay or that it has caused it.

First I made my way to the Triumphal Arch just a little north of the city center. There are a few signposts and the object is big enough to see from some distance. It stands in the middle of a roundabout nowadays, but there’s enough empty space around it to be able to observe the arch. Its reliefs are remarkable indeed, especially the ones at the top. I was the only visitor, and there was no entrance fee or guard.

The Roman Theatre is a bit more of a tourist spectacle, though I get the impression that most of the large tour buses that whisk Japanese, Chinese and Americans around the Provence omit Orange from their journeys. An audio guide is included in the 9 EUR entrance fee, and is worth listening to when you’re seated on one of the benches inside the theatre. It for example points out the new (glass) stage roof, which was added in 2006 and preserves the ancient acoustics. The stage itself is massive of course, but lacks the original decoration. Only one statue has been replaced, made out of bits and pieces that were found.