We were there today and it was a total waste of time. The entire site is filled with scaffolding and temporary bleachers. It wasn't worth the time or the money to see it. What I found particularly annoying was the fact that the ticket booth personnel failed to mention this before taking our money.
Posted by
Folsom
2707 posts
Pretty common as this arena and many others are still used for concerts and plays. Surprised you did not see this as, if my memory serves me well, you can get glimpses of the interior as you walk around the arena.
Posted by
OP
Fairfax, VA
763 posts
The scaffolding was not for performances. It was for renovations and the extent of it was not clearly visible from the street. My comment stands.
Posted by
Folsom
2707 posts
Well, they do use the place and the bleacher and much of the scaffolding are for seats. I’m sure some is restoration/renovation as that is ongoing at these sites. Sorry you did not enjoy your visit, hope the rest of your trip to Provence was more to your liking.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32742 posts
So is your complaint that the conservation/repair was going on while you were there or that a 2,000 year old structure is in modern use and seating was put in for the ticket-holders?
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10188 posts
It doesn’t take a psychic to understand the point. It’s not a complaint nor “to your liking”, both of which sound disrespectful to the OP. The place is under renovation for now. If you pay to see it, you may be wasting your money unless you enjoy scaffolding.
Although, I’m not going to Arles any time soon, thank you for the heads up.
BTW, since you’ve posted a lot of heads up, could you report what’s been good, too. Did you find a hairdresser?
Posted by
3 posts
They are not just temporary bleachers, they are there to enable people to sit there comfortably. The arena has been in use for a couple of thousand years, since then it has been upgraded a little, to prevent spectators from tripping up and falling in front of a lion.