About 25km west of Nîmes, off the Sommières road out of Lunel and close to the A9 autoroute, the Roman Via Domitia crosses the vineyards from the village of Gallargues to the bank of the River Vidourle, where one isolated arch of the original Roman bridge remains. On the west bank, a fine stretch of the old cobbled way is visible climbing the slopes of the former Roman settlement of Ambrussum, a fortified staging post on the road. From the top of the hill you can look down on the modern international traffic still passing the same way, on the autoroute and parallel rail line.About 10km to the north, 28km from Nîmes, still on the Vidourle, the little medieval town of SOMMIÈRES, with a much-modified Roman bridge, is where Lawrence Durrell spent the last years of his life. the town itself boasts no major sights, though it's well preserved and atmospheric. However, a visit to the castle of Vieilleville (April–Nov afternoons; Dec–March 2pm–dusk; €5.50), on the hillside 3km above Sommières, should not be missed. Owned by the same family for nearly eight hundred years, the castle is full of exquisite antique furniture. There are daily buses to Sommières from Nîmes; for accommodation, choose between the rather fancy Auberge du Port Romain, 2 av Émile-Jamais (tel 04.66.80.00.58; €70–85; closed mid-Jan to mid-March & mid-Nov to mid-Dec), set in a renovated wine Château, or the rather more basic Relais d'Estalou on the Rte. d'Aubois (tel 04.66.77.71.08; €30–40). There's also a municipal campsite on rue Eugène-Rouch.
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