Pont du Gard

Pont du Gard is a true gem of Provance. This 2,000 year old ancient Roman aqueduct crosses the Gard River and is located in Southern France, not far from Avignon or Nimes.

What you see in the photo below is only part of the aqueduct - the Pont, the French word for 'bridge.' The entire aqueduct is originally 50 km (31 miles) long and runs between Uzes and Nimes. In ancient times, it supplied water for the people of Nimes. It carried about 200 million litres (44 million gallons - can you imagine how much that is? I can't!) of water each day, which was enough to fill everyone's house, as well as the baths and fountains of the entire town. The Pont is 49 m (161 ft) high and 274 m (899 ft) long. This three-tier bridge has 6 large arches on the first level (or row), 11 on the second, and 35 small arches on the top, third level. The engineers used a simple technique of stacking arches on top of each other.

The aqueduct was completed around the middle of the 1st century AD. It took 5 years (some sources quote 15) and between 800 and 1,000 workers to build it.

No mortar had been used in its construction, just blocks of stone, some of which weight up to 6 tons.

 The width of the levels varies from 9 m (30 ft) at the bottom to 3 m (9.8 ft) at the top.

In the Middle Ages, Pont du Gard served as a toll bridge and was severely worn down over the years. In 1702, Pont du Gard was restored, its lost stones were replaced and cracks filled. Another major renovation took place in 1855-58, when Napoleon III, who admired everything Roman, decided to repair Pont du Gard further. Since 1985, Pond du Gard has been included in the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

There is a cozy restaurant right on the river and next to Pont du Gard. The restaurant is part of Le Vieux Moulin Hotel, which used to be a flour mill.

Staying at the Le Vieux Moulin Hotel is an especially great experience, but you need to book well in advance, as the hotel is quite popular. It is a small hotel with only 10 rooms, so, no wonder, it can fill up quickly. Make sure you get a room with a view of the Pont! And don't forget to observe the extraordinarily beautiful sunset. And the sunrise too, of course.

Keep in mind, you won't find a TV in this hotel (nor WiFi), since the hotel owners believe that the sight of Pont du Gard is magnificent enough (and I agree!). It's a sin to watch TV having such a gorgeous view in front of you (it's a joke, of course, but it's very close to what I actually believe in this case).

Near the restaurant terrace you can see a huge wheel (it is about 1.2 m/ (4 ft) tall, or a bit taller than that. I believe it is from one of the ancient carts the Romans used in building the aqueduct.

Pont du Gard is open year round. You can drive there by car or take a bus from Nimes, Avignon, or other surrounding towns.

Pont du Gard's official website has lots of helpful information:

https://www.pontdugard.fr/en