Travel Eye on Aix en Provence (France)

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Overview :

Aix-en-Provence, the former capital of Provence, is famous for its splendid mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries. Discover the old quarters and Cours Mirabeau, the main street in the city. One of your tour highlights will be a visit to the "workroom of Cezanne", famous painter born in Aix-en-Provence, and a sightseeing tour to the foot of the Stainte Victoire Mountain to admire the sites painted in by this famous artist.

Marseille may well be the dominant metropolis of Provence but Aix-en-Provence, just 15 miles (24km) inland, is arguably the cultural and tourism capital of the province. Historically and socially the two cities are, however, at odds. Aix (pronounced "Ex") is a stunningly beautiful university town whose riches are based on agriculture and academia rather than on heavy industry. The residents of Aix are sophisticated, regarded by their counterparts in Marseille as being snobbish on a par with Parisians. Aix was founded in 122 BC by the Romans and became the capital of Provence, then an independent country. The famous King René of Anjou (1409-80) ruled during this period. He was well known as a patron of science and the arts and was very popular for his love of wine and festivities. After the union of Provence with France and until the Revolution, Aix remained the judicial and administrative headquarters of the region. The town has been the inspiration to many great writers and painters including Guigou, Stendhal, Mistral and Zola. Most famous of all is undoubtedly Paul Cézanne, who was inspired by the Provence countryside to produce his masterpieces, some of which can be seen in his hometown at the Musée Granet, in the Quartier Mazarin. Visitors can also call at his studio close to the town. Aix possesses a wealth of superb architecture that has been carefully preserved and restored. Walking through the Cours Mirabeau and the Rue Gaston de Saporta visitors can admire the private mansions with their sculptured doors and windows and the intricate ironwork on the balconies. On the Place des Martyrs de la Résistance is the ancient Cathedral and in the neighbouring archbishop's palace is the Musée des Tapisseries.

Locality:

Located in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, southeast France, 29 km/18 mi north of Marseille; population (1990) 126,800.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

Visitors here generally are attracted the culture and sights of Aix. There is the option to enjoy the daily open-air market at place de Richieme and the second-hand bookstalls at nearby place de l'Hotel de Ville. You can explore the south section of town, centered on the place des Quatre Dauphins and its fountain. Aix' open-air cafés and restaurants stay open well into the warm, beautiful evenings. Don't miss a visit to painter Paul Cézanne's studio, north on avenue Pasteur. The studio remains as he left it at his death in 1906. Cézanne's beloved Mt. Sainte-Victoire, subject of many of his paintings, sits five miles to the east of Aix.