| WHY GO |
| The amphitheatre and Roman walls of Arles speak of the Provençal city's Roman past, but the warm influence of rural tradition is apparent everywhere you look. Van Gogh came to Arles in February 1888 in search of some southern colour and a cheap place to work, and he wrote to his friend Paul Gauguin: 'Perhaps Arles will disappoint you, if you come here in mistral weather; but you wait. It is only in the long run that the poetry of this place penetrates.' Today the town has ethno-craft shops, wine bars and designer bistros which have colonised the narrow lanes of the historic centre, and even humble hotels have had designer makeovers. The town is laid-back and low-key, its bright colours inspiring the designs of Christian Lacroix, who was born here. |
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