"ORANGE, VAUCLUSE, FRANCE" a Vaucluse Travel Page by longsanborn

I came upon Orange, France, in May 2002 during my road trip through the wine valley of France. I have never heard of Orange and didn't know that this town has a couple of surprising attractions.

Orange is a town in the south of France and located about 21 km north of Avignon. Orange was the former seat of the counts of Orange, a title created in the 8th century and passed to the Dutch crown in the 16th century.

Today the town is best known for its spectacular Roman theatre and Triumphal Arch, both of which remain remarkably intact. The rest of Orange isn’t strikingly picturesque, however there are pleasant tree-lined streets and squares with some nice cafes and restaurants.

Orange attracted international attention in the 1990s, when it elected a member of the extreme right-wing Front National as its mayor. Orange is also home to the French Foreign Legion's armored 1er REC or First Foreign Cavalry Regiment.

The town is renowned for its Roman architecture; it possesses the best preserved Roman theatre (Theatre Antique d'Orange) in Europe and a fine Triumphal Arch (the Arc de Triomphe), both built during the reign of Augustus.

The arch, theatre and surroundings were listed in 1981 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.