Orange has one of the best Roman theatres still standing anywhere, and what makes it special is the stage wall. It is a tall, plain facade, thirty-seven metres high and more than a hundred metres long, which in most other theatres has fallen or been taken apart for stone. Here it survives, and Louis XIV is supposed to have called it the finest wall in his kingdom. The theatre was built in the first century, under Augustus or soon after, and a statue of the emperor still stands in the central niche. The nearby triumphal arch, on the edge of town, is also Roman and also in good shape. UNESCO listed the theatre and arch together in 1981.
The theatre is still used for performances. Every summer the Chorégies d'Orange, an opera festival that dates from the nineteenth century, fills the seats at night, and the acoustics, helped by the old wall, are remarkable. The town itself is a pleasant small Provençal place, with plane trees, cafes and a market, and the name Orange has nothing to do with the fruit. It comes from an old Celtic or Roman name, and the princes of Orange, the house that later gave the Dutch royal family its name, took their title from this town.
The riding in the area is a pleasure. The Rhône valley is flat and busy, but turn east and you reach the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, about ten kilometres away, and the limestone teeth of the Dentelles de Montmirail, where the roads curl between vines and olive trees. Further on, Mont Ventoux rises to 1,912 metres, and the climb to its bare summit is one of the classic rides in France. The mistral, the cold north wind that blows down the valley, can be fierce, and gusts will push a bike sideways. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, while midsummer afternoons are very hot.
Orange has thirty thousand people, so fuel and food are simple. Many local cafes serve lunch under the plane trees. Order a glass of Côtes du Rhône with lunch if you are not riding, or a coffee if you are. Aim for early morning at the theatre, because the stone gets hot and the light flattens.