My globe trotter habits led me to Nimes, nicknamed the French Rome because of the presence of 7 hills around the gaullic city founded some 3000 years A.D.

Nîmes most prestigious history dates from the time when it was a colony under Latin law. The Emporer Octavius, who later became Augustus, defeated Cleopatra and Marc-Anthony at Actium in 30 BC. He ordered a special coin to be minted representing his victories in Egypt and the accession of the emperor to the colony of Nemausus.
The crocodile and palm tree became the symbol of the Roman town of Nîmes at this time as they represented this victory and the battle fought on African land at Actium.
He took the name of Augustus and became Emperor. Instead of marching into Rome through a newly erected gate like all his predecessors, he entered Nimes through the Augustus' Gate - still up in the city, close to the Eglise des Carmes. This caused a bit of a stir in Rome, and a big scandal at the Senate and Augustus only used Nimes as his main gaullic residence, which in turn upset everyone with an official title in Laugdanum (Lyon), the Roman capital of France at the time. There is another statue of a Roman Emperor in Nimes, which if my memory does not betray me is Constantin.

The status of colony under Latin law, gave the town its own authority. Ramparts were constructed and from the 1st century AD, prestigious monuments were built :
the Maison Carré (main temple on the forum, still visited today and host of many exhibitions), the theatre, the Temple of Diane, an aqueduct for channelling water from the Eure spring near Uzes (Pont du Gard).

At the end of the first century, the amphitheatre (Coliseum) was built, asserting the regional importance of the Roman colony. This Coliseum is still in use today for many concerts and bullfights as Nimes now has a hispanic character and offers Ferias with abrivados, bullfights, bodegas, etc...

The city is full of Roman remains (in fact whenever something new is built, all construction work is blocked for a good year to allow ample time to study ruins below the city) and artefacts and definitely offers an impressive palette of monuments. Every stone seems to have a story.

In addition to this, the Jardins de La Fontaine, large Renaissance gardens, designed by Le Notre, the same architect as the one drawing the map of the Versailles castle park, and its surrounding hills gives the traveler a glimpse of Tuscan Italy. The cathedral is carved out of a wonderful Roman style. In general, as one wanders in the street, one is bound to bump into some architectural wonder, a beautiful garden, a splendid church, a small and engaging latin-looking street.

This region was largely protestant and became a prime spot for the Sun King's army: The Dragons, sent out to exterminate the "Huguenots" after the revocation of the Edit de Nantes (previously signed by Henry IV who converted from protestantism to catholicism when crowned King of France, as the French Law only wanted catholic king). A famous protestant family from the region (Cevennes) who emigrated to the United States roundabout that time is the Roquefeuille family. The Anglo Saxons could not pronounce this name properly and deformed it into Rockefeller.

What Nimes seems to lack is the strong presence of a future-looking industry, which some people argue is beneficial as it prevented exponential growth which would have destroyed this spirit of small town. The city shares its universities and schools/lycees with neighbouring Montpellier which is demographically and economically exploding.

A stop that I can recommend to anyone in love with old stones impregnated with stories.