Pont du Gard

Welcome to one of the most iconic sights of the ancient world. Standing here at the Pont du Gard, you are looking at the highest Roman aqueduct bridge ever built, rising forty-eight point eight meters above the Gardon River. This golden limestone giant is a centerpiece of a fifty-kilometer-long water system designed to quench the thirst of the Roman colony of Nemausus, known today as Nîmes. Take a moment to look at the three distinct tiers of arches. It is hard to believe that this structure, which has stood for nearly two thousand years, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in nineteen eighty-five because of its exceptional preservation and architectural ingenuity. As you begin your walk, notice how the massive stones create a rhythm that has survived centuries of floods and the passage of time. You are standing where thousands of Roman laborers once toiled to build a monument to the power and sophistication of the Roman Empire.