Arles was next in our sights. There are so many reasons to visit this beautiful city. My main interest was its association with Van Gogh, who spent one of his most productive years here. He set up a studio with the intention of working alongside other artists. He invited Gauguin to work alongside him, which worked for a bit, but artistic differences became too much. The townspeople got up a petition to have Van Gogh moved on, after which he cut off his ear and gave it to a local prostitute. And was then committed to a mental hospital.

Since then, a whole tourist industry has grown up around his work, including the Foundation of Vincent Van Gogh. Sadly, the Foundation was closed when we got there, so our Van Gogh tour was sadly curtailed. However, we did see the hospital where Van Gogh was committed after he cut off his ear: the courtyard looks exactly the same as it did when he painted it in 1889.

The town itself was an inspiration in many other ways. First impressions were a little tricky as we were diverted due to a traffic incident and ended up having to park in a super expensive spot. However, as soon as we started to wander up the steep, shady streets, we realised we were somewhere special. The medieval and roman antecedents of this hill town were everywhere to see. What surprised us was the extent of the roman remains which litter the town. We happened acorss  a full sized amphitheatre AND a theatre, both very well preserved. I felt very lucky to be here off season as it was clear that this was a super popular tourist town which would be rammed in summer. For the first time in our trip, we saw guided groups of American and Japanese tourists who were clearly “doing” roman remains or “doing” art history. As a place to visit, it was a joy, with narrow, car free streets giving way to open squares.  It was fun to dive down small passageways and see where we’d pop out. Putting aside the monuments and tourist hot spots, there were bits of ancient graffiti, ancient arches and city walls everywhere.

There was also a contemporary buzz about the place, with the ‘Rencontres d’Arles’ taking place. This is a photographic exhibition which has happened every summer since 1970, exhibiting contemporary photographs and creative works on various heritage sights around the city. We were happening across interesting images in every nook and cranny.

After the Montpellier mess up, we were pleased to find a campsite within walking distance of the town.  Once we were settled, we walked in again to enjoy a sunset drink within spitting distance of the amphitheatre. Then we went on to ‘Oscar’s café’ with jazz playing and an exhibition about African body art on the walls. The reclaimed furniture was mismatched and the food dishes were individual: a salad of local, freshly picked tomatoes and chevre; red mullet fillets with a potato and pear accompaniment. Another facet of fascinating Arles.