I decided to pay a visit to the amphitheatre during my stay in Arles and it turned out to be a pretty phenomenal experience.
Entry to the site is covered under the Arles Avantage pass & the Liberté pass, both available from the Tourist Office, which also give access to the other monuments around town including Musée Réattu, Thermes de Constantin & the Théatre Antique, which is not to be confused with the Amphitheatre.
The external architecture of the Amphitheatre is hard not to admire, even from a layman’s point of view and it is photographed by everyone who sidles past for that very reason. It can be a little confusing to know where to go after you're inside, with a choice between steps up to the first tier, or a walk underneath the interior with access to the upper tier further along.
For perspectives sake I wanted my first view of the arena to be from the highest point possible, so I continued up the flights of stone steps as far as I could before heading under the darkness of the archway into the iridescent light of the arena. On the way up I filled my mind with thoughts of robed dignitaries awaiting blood and imagining the rapturous cheer that must have exploded when a gladiator would stride onto the dusty surface below.
The amphitheatre is now set up for bullfights with boards around the edges of the oval shaped floor used as a safe haven from an advancing bull. During the bullfighting season the atmosphere in the arena must sizzle; when it’s empty, like now, and open just for visitors it has a peaceful and gracious quality, like that of royalty laying in state.
Many people now seem to come and position themselves aloft on the wooden seats to read a book, or take a few snaps while trying to get a sense of the atmosphere and the history held within the walls. For a period of time the amphitheatre housed a full town complete with chapel and in the recent past renovation work was undertaken to restore the arena to its glorious best although Latin inscriptions can still be seen on the stone walls.
I spotted a cat circling around the arena floor like a miniature version of the wild animals that gladiators would fight for entertainment in the first century BC. Pursuing the cat through the 'vomitorium' I thought that it might reveal to me something more about this place than I had already seen. Unfortunately he evaded me when he went around a corner and up the stairs - but I found he had lead me high up into the North tower overlooking Arles with a stunning view of the whole amphitheatre and the Rhône River below. These particular towers had been added on during medieval times to fortify the structures defences.
From up in the fortification you encounter beautiful sights across the surrounding plain of Arles and one understands why the amphitheatre was built on the crest of this hillside. It may not be the best viewpoint for anyone scared of heights though, as looking down to the entrance steps of the amphitheatre can be slightly vertigo inducing.
I caught sight of the cat again during my descent and stalked him like a gladiator would his prey; although the kill this time was to just feed him some local saucisson. I had lost and picked up the trail many times while continually circling the amphitheatre in search of the feline. At first I thought that the cat obviously had a much greater understanding and knowledge of the architecture than I could ever hope to have, as he ducked through gaps too small for a human of my size to squeeze. Then I slowly began to realise there was a big possibility that more than one cat hunted in the amphitheatre. This was confirmed when I eventually saw a few of them in one area, but in tracking them around the huge arena I had stumbled upon their colony and a litter of kittens crouched yelping under the floorboards as the female cat kept watch in the sunshine. I guess I had been feeding the male who had been bringing the loot back to feed his family.
The amphitheatre - amongst its many other purposes; was now home to a family of cats who took shelter underneath the wooden stands.
Single entry to the Amphitheatre is €6 or it is included with the Avantage Pass & the Pass Liberté available from the tourist office.
The amphitheatre is open every day with varying times depending on the season.
Take a look at our events calendar for what's on here during the year.