Arles & the Rhône

On its way down from Switzerland to the sea, the Rhône River is at its widest point here in Arles just after splitting into two arms making an island called the Camargue. This side of town, known as Trinquetaille, was already a residential area in Roman times, when Arelate was the Roman capital of the Gaul.
Arles' fame remained till the Middle Ages. It was an important Christian centre. Its cemetery, called Les Alyscamps, was so notorious that they started to let the dead drift down the river to be buried at Les Alyscamps.
In the 19th century both Van Gogh and Gauguin painted the main alley of this famous graveyard.
UNESCO added the city on the list of World Heritage. Today, Arles is a tourist & cultural attraction for its monuments, its festival and the Rencontres d'Arles - one of the World's major photography event.
Arles was / is also the home of many famous personalities such as Lucien Clergue (photographer), the Gypsy Kings (musical group), Hubert Nyssen (writer & editor), Patrick de Carolis (journalist & writer), Louis Féraud & Christian Lacroix (designers).