Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
▲
Museum
Inthisstate-of-the-artmuseum(well-presentedinEnglish),you'llentertothesoundofwater
and understand the critical role fresh water played in the Roman “art of living.” You'll see
examples of lead pipes, faucets, and siphons; walk through a mock rock quarry; and learn
how they moved those huge rocks into place and how those massive arches were made.
While actual artifacts from the aqueduct are few, the exhibit shows the immensity of the un-
dertaking as well as the payoff. Imagine the excitement as this extravagant supply of water
finallytumbledintoNîmes.Arelaxinghighlightisthescenicvideoofahelicopterridealong
the entire 30-mile course of the structure, from its start at Uzès all the way to the Castellum
in Nîmes.
Other Activities
Severaladditionalattractionsaredesignedtogivethesightmoremeaning—andtheydo(but
for most visitors, the museum is sufficient). A corny, romancing-the-aqueduct 25-minute
film plays in the same building as the museum and offers good information in a flirtatious
French-Mediterranean style...and a cool, entertaining, and cushy break. The nearby kids'
museum, called
Ludo,
offers a scratch-and-sniff teaching experience (in English) of various
aspects of Roman life and the importance of water. The extensive outdoor
garrigue
natural
area, closer to the aqueduct, features historic crops and landscapes of the Mediterranean.
▲▲▲
▲▲▲
Viewing the Aqueduct
A park-like path leads to the aqueduct. Until a few years ago, this was an actual
road—adjacenttotheaqueduct—thathadspannedtheriversince1743.Beforeyoucrossthe
bridge, pass under it and hike about 300 feet along the riverbank for a grand viewpoint from
which to study the world's second-highest standing Roman structure. (Rome's Colosseum is
only 6 feet taller.)
This was the biggest bridge in the whole 30-mile-long aqueduct. It seems exceptional
because it is: The arches are twice the width of standard aqueducts, and the main arch is the
largest the Romans ever built—80 feet (so it wouldn't get its feet wet). The bridge is about
160 feet high and was originally about 1,100 feet long. Today, 12 arches are missing, redu-
cing the length to 790 feet.
Though the distance from the source (in Uzès) to Nîmes was only 12 miles as the eagle
flew,engineers chosethemosteconomical route,windingandzigzagging 30miles. Thewa-
ter made the trip in 24 hours with a drop of only 40 feet. Ninety percent of the aqueduct is
onorundertheground,butafewrivercanyonslikethisrequiredbridges.Astonelidhidesa
four-foot-wide,six-foot-tallchamberlinedwithwaterproofmortarthatcarriedthestreamfor
