A 50 Km aqueduct with 35Km of tunnels ground in rock and several bridges made of limestone with rudimentary tools and cranes is not a project to be taken lightly. Pont du Gard being the best preserved bridge, stands proud under the heat of the sun of June in the Provence.
One would think that such huge enterprise was meant to secure the all so important supply of basic water needs of Nimes. However this wasn’t the real purpose of the Roman politicians; The water from this aqueduct was only meant to supply the pools and baths of Nimes, and ultimately a work of Roman Empire propaganda, financed with a temporary levy of imperial taxes over the region, for the enlightening of the savages of Europe.
An empty view of the Pont du Gard is not an all too common chance, but of being early underway. What in the summer days this far south is not a bad idea anyway. In the early hour, the light still has a yellowish cast, an angle that remarks the inscriptions in the old stones, and the sky is not totally whited out.
Later the riverbanks will slowly fill with visitors looking for refreshment, canoes will pass under the bridge on their way downstream, and shadowy tables at the coffee terraces along the site will be attentively watched for vacancies.
thegasstationphilosopher 