Photo TidbitsPont du Gard

By Jim and Emmy Humberd

The Pont du Gard (begun in about 19 BC), is 900 feet long and 160 feet high. Its sole purpose was to act as a bridge so the aqueduct which supplied 44,000,000 gallons of water each day to the city of Nimes, could slope downhill high above the Gard River. Just imagine the engineering skill required to determine the continuous angle of decent, and the work effort needed to build the aqueduct so water could flow 30 miles over hill and dell, and over the chasm of the Gard River. There were no pumps, only gravity. A couple of times we have enjoyed a promenade across the ravine by walking inside the four-foot-wide by six-foot-high water channel, above the third level of arches.

The roadway portion of the bridge was built about 200 years ago, but it is well matched with the 2,000 year old original construction. On our fourth visit there were crowds of people, and police had blocked access to the road during the afternoon. The next morning, with few people around, the police and road blocks were gone, and we again drove across the Pont du Gard. Why is that so exciting, since we've done it a couple of times in the past? Well, who else do you know who has done it even once?

Books by Jim and Emmy Humberd:
Invitation to France
Invitation to Germany
Invitation to Italy

Related Links:
Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
Pont du Gard - Nimes, France - Great Buildings Online
Le Pont du Gard

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