Orange, Roman heritage town in Vaucluse, France
Orange is a town in the Vaucluse department of Provence, close to the borders with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie regions. It sits on a gentle rise overlooking flat farmland and vineyard slopes that stretch toward the Rhône River.
Roman veterans founded a colony in the 1st century before Christ on an earlier Celtic site. Over centuries the town passed between French crown and Dutch principality until joining France permanently after the Revolution.
The town's name descends from the Celtic god Arausio, whom Roman settlers later connected to their own deities. Today visitors walk streets where ancient stones meet modern cafés, listening to open-air concerts in spaces built two millennia ago.
The town sits at the crossing of several major motorways linking southern France to Spain and Italy. A walk through the old center leads to market days beneath plane trees, where stalls offer regional produce and crafts.
A statue of a Roman emperor stands in a niche on the outer wall of the ancient theater, preserved over centuries. In alleys near the arena small workshops show craftspeople carving sculptures from local limestone.
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