Orange and Châteauneuf-du-Pape: The Roman Stage and the Popes' Vineyard
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
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Augustus Stage Hand
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275
XP
+100 France
= 375 total
2 days
Orange and Châteauneuf-du-Pape: The Roman Stage and the Popes' Vineyard
275 + 100 XP
Orange's Roman theatre, built under Augustus by veterans of Caesar's Second Legion, is one of the best preserved in the world along with Bosra in Syria, and it still stands its full height: an outside wall 103m long and 37m high that Louis XIV called the finest wall in his kingdom, with the 35m stage wall behind it and a colossal statue 3.5m high in its central niche. It is UNESCO-listed with the town's triumphal arch. Nine kilometres south, the ruined summer castle of the Avignon popes stands above the vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Stand on the floor of the Roman theatre at Orange and find the colossal statue 3.5m high in the central niche of the stage wall - long called Augustus, though its head is a later replacement and some date the whole figure to the 2nd century - then climb to the top rows
2
of 5
Walk to the Triumphal Arch of Orange, UNESCO-listed with the theatre since 1981
3
of 5
Walk up to the ruins of the popes' 14th-century castle at Châteauneuf-du-Pape for the view to Mont Ventoux and Avignon
4
of 5
Taste a Chateauneuf-du-Pape at one of the village cellars and see how many of the thirteen permitted grape varieties the grower will name in the blend; out in the vineyard, pick up one of the galets roules and feel how long it holds the day's heat, which is what it gives back to the vines at night. Ask in the village about the 1954 by-law that forbade flying saucers to land on the commune
5
of 5
In the theatre at Orange, find the centaur frieze 70 cm high over the royal door, then climb to the summa cavea, the top rows where slaves, foreigners and prostitutes had to sit, and look back down at the stage from there
Stand on the floor of the Roman theatre at Orange and find the colossal statue 3.5m high in the central niche of the stage wall - long called Augustus, though its head is a later replacement and some date the whole figure to the 2nd century - then climb to the top rows
Walk to the Triumphal Arch of Orange, UNESCO-listed with the theatre since 1981
Walk up to the ruins of the popes' 14th-century castle at Châteauneuf-du-Pape for the view to Mont Ventoux and Avignon
Taste a Chateauneuf-du-Pape at one of the village cellars and see how many of the thirteen permitted grape varieties the grower will name in the blend; out in the vineyard, pick up one of the galets roules and feel how long it holds the day's heat, which is what it gives back to the vines at night. Ask in the village about the 1954 by-law that forbade flying saucers to land on the commune
In the theatre at Orange, find the centaur frieze 70 cm high over the royal door, then climb to the summa cavea, the top rows where slaves, foreigners and prostitutes had to sit, and look back down at the stage from there
Before you go
The theatre closes to visitors for rehearsals and performances of the Choregies and the summer festivals - check before you go in July and August.
The cavea is a steep climb on ancient and restored stone with no handrail, and there is no shade on it; Orange is one of the hottest towns in Provence in midsummer.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape cellars mostly close over lunch, and the castle ruin on the hill has no shade and an uneven stony approach.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
275 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
375 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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