Nîmes, the capital of the Gard department is a city with distinct Roman roots.

The Roman period started in the first century BC as the colony of Nemausus, a local Celtic god.

The city prospered under Roman rule and large constructions were erected. To supply enough water an aquaduct was build with the impressive Pont du Gard crossing the Gardon river as posterchild.

Roman rule ended when the Visigoths took the city in 473 AD.

 

Over the next centuries Nîmes entered a period of decline with invasions, new rulers, plagues and wars over religion.

 

In the 19th century industrialisation started and one famous product was Denim (short for "de Nîmes"), the materialLevi Strauss first used for jeans.

 

We visited Nîmes on a sunny day in March 2015 and inspected the Arena, the Maison Carree,Diana's temple and the Tour Magne.