Saintes

Mediolanum Santonum was the capital of Roman Aquitaine, and two things survive well. The Arch of Germanicus, put up in AD 18 or 19, stood on the bridge over the Charente until the bridge was demolished in 1843; Prosper Merimee intervened and the arch was dismantled and rebuilt on the bank, where it stands now. The amphitheatre, built around AD 40 into a natural hollow at the edge of town, held perhaps fifteen thousand and keeps its oval bowl and entrances. The Abbaye aux Dames, a Romanesque women's abbey with a carved portal and a pine-cone tower, is now a music academy.

What you actually see

• The Arch of Germanicus - a first-century arch relocated stone by stone.
• The amphitheatre - an oval bowl cut into a hillside for about fifteen thousand.
• The Abbaye aux Dames - a Romanesque abbey with a carved portal and unusual tower.
• Saint-Eutrope crypt - a large Romanesque crypt on the pilgrim route.

When to go

April to October; the amphitheatre is open air and best in dry weather. A summer music festival uses the abbey. Winter is quiet with reduced hours.

Honest expectations

The amphitheatre is a grassed bowl rather than standing tiers, so it takes imagination. The Roman sites are scattered across the town. The centre is ordinary in parts.

Nearby

Cognac lies northeast; Talmont is southwest.