Arles is a city in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is the prefecture, and in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located on the left bank of the Rhône River.
The city has a long history, and was founded by the Greeks. It became a Roman city, and was the capital of the province of Gallia Narbonensis. It was occupied by the Visigoths in 462, and by the Franks in 486. It was then part of the kingdom of Burgundy, and was awarded to the Holy Roman Empire in 1032. Arles became a free imperial city in 1262.
The city is famous for its Roman monuments, its Roman amphitheatre (the Arles Amphitheatre), and its medieval monuments, including the Romanesque cathedral (Saint-Trophime) and the