Jardins de la Fontaine, French formal garden in Nîmes, France.
Jardins de la Fontaine is a French garden spanning about 15 hectares with symmetrical pathways, classical terraces, and ornamental fountains fed by a natural spring source. The complex combines Roman monuments with baroque elements within a carefully designed landscape.
The gardens were created in 1745 and built upon the remains of an ancient Roman sanctuary that originally contained temples, water sources, and ritual structures. This layering of periods shapes the site's appearance today.
The gardens developed around an ancient spring and preserve remains of Roman structures like the Temple of Diana throughout their layout. Visitors encounter traces of this ancient civilization woven into the French garden design at every turn.
You can walk freely through the grounds and should wear comfortable shoes since there are many paths and stairs to explore. The best times to visit are early morning or late afternoon when fewer people are around.
Beneath the gardens runs an ancient Roman channel system that still carries water and demonstrates how Roman engineers cleverly used natural slopes for irrigation. This hidden network remains invisible to most visitors yet continues to shape water management on site.
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