At the Arch of Germanicus, in the historic town of Saintes, western France

 “So ask the travelled inhabitant of any nation, ‘In what country on earth would you rather live?’ Certainly in my own, where are all my friends, my relations, and the earliest and sweetest affections and recollections of my life. Which would be your second choice? France.” – Thomas Jefferson

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(in western France) Saintes is a historic town in the Charente-Maritime department, of which it is a sub-prefecture in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais. While a majority of the surrounding landscape consists of fertile fields, a minority of the region remains forested. In Roman times, Saintes was known as Mediolanum Santonum. Primarily built on the left bank of the Charente River, Saintes became the first Roman capital of Aquitaine. Later it was designated as the capital of the province of Saintonge under the Ancien Régime. Following the French Revolution, it briefly became the prefecture of the department during the territorial reorganization of 1790, until La Rochelle was designated and superseded it in 1810. Although it only had the status of a subprefecture, Saintes remained the judicial center of the department. In the late 19th century, Saintes was chosen as the seat of the 8th arrondissement of the Chemins de Fer de l'État; its railways enabled an era of economic and demographic growth.

+ Today, Saintes is the economic heart at the center of the department, and is an important transportation hub. Due to its noteworthy Gallo-Roman, medieval, and classical heritage, Saintes is also a tourist destination. It has several museums, a theater, cinemas, and organizes numerous festivals. (A European center of musical research and practice is in its Abbaye aux Dames.)

+ The Arch of Germanicus (shown here) is a triumphal arch that was built at the entrance to a bridge, where the main Roman road crossed the Charente. The bridge was demolished in 1843 but the Arch was saved by Prosper Mérimée and rebuilt at its present location on the bank of the river. Ruins of the Roman amphitheater are on the main, left bank of the Charente, near the summit of the hill upon which the town was built. Its notable tiers (cavea) are built against the hill and an embankment. Some remnants of the 1st-century thermae of Saint-Saloine are also visible (in particular an aqueduct). Fragments of the 3rd century rampart (to the city walls) can be seen in the Place des Récollets. It was built with stones taken from the Roman buildings.

+ The town’s most noteworthy Roman remains are the ruined 1st-century amphitheater and the arch, which had been transferred from a Roman bridge. The old Saint-Pierre Cathedral, dating from the 15th century, was badly damaged by the Huguenots (Protestants) in 1568. The Romanesque church of St. Eutropius contains the tomb of that saint, who was the town’s first bishop. The Romanesque church of Sainte-Marie and the adjoining 11th-century Abbaye-aux-Dames are among the other noteworthy buildings in town.