Aix-en-Provence Discover our Two Day Fun-filled Exploration
Aix-en-Provence was a delight from the moment we arrived. This was our first visit to Provence and I must have said “the light truly is amazing” a hundred times. It is something I’ve always heard said but never really appreciated it til I saw how beautiful the buildings were in Aix with the sun highlighting them.
This lovely view came from our walk down Cr Gambetta to the Santons Fouque shop where I purchased several delightful santons, traditional handcrafted provençal figurines.]\
We arrived late afternoon (6:30 pm local time) and our driver from the airport expounded on his home region in rush-hour traffic. Unbeknownst to him, I had planned our month-long stay in Provence down to the last minute. However, he filled us with ideas and places to visit that we had not even considered so we now have plenty of ideas for a return trip!
That first evening we began with an exploration of the architecture and history of our hotel. Hotel des Augustines was a convent, Couvent des Augustines, in the 12th century. In 1892 the Chapel was transformed into the hotel we see today.
During the French Revolution, the church was destroyed except for the bell tower. We were fortunate to have a room with a view of this bell tower.
Couvent des Augustines bell tower
Fountains of Aix-en-Provence
Cours Mirabeau
We discovered our first fountain on the way to dinner the first night. Fontaine de la Rotonde is spectacular! At 32 meters wide and 12 meters high, it was a sight to behold. The next morning we learned that this was the starting point of the market that runs the length of Cours Mirabeau street.
It’s best to note here that we discovered these fountains bit by bit as we followed the flow of the markets on Tuesday morning.
Fontaine de la Rotonde
Twenty-four renowned fountains exist here in Aix-en-Provence. What I share with you are some of my favorites.
La Fontaine de Neuf-Canons or the Fountain of Nine Streams, a two tier fountain, dates from 1690. Constructed with a low rising lower basin fed by nine streams from the top basin, the design provided a watering trough. Its purpose? Long ago shepherds herded their sheep through the city to their summer pastures.
La Fontaine de Neuf-Canons
The Mossy Fountain, La Fontaine Mossue, dates from 1667 and is fed by the thermal spring Bagnier. Because the temperature is a constant 64 degrees Fahrenheit it encourages the growth of the moss.
For a bit of botany on the side, three different types of moss as well as a bit of algae and several types of diatoms exist in abundance in/on the fountain. (Thanks to Aixenprovence.fr for the historical information on the fountains.)
Can you spot the different types of moss in La Fontaine Mossue?
To sum up the three fountains on Cours Mirabeau, we found King Roi René’s fountain presiding majestically over the square and the end of Cours Mirabeau. Located on the site of an ancient pyramid-shaped fountain destroyed during the Revolution, this fountain weighs 6.6 tons!
Fontaine du Roi René
My Favorite Fountain
Purportedly the first free-standing fountain in Aix, the Fountain of Four Dolphins, ended up being my favorite fountain. Like the previous fountains, this one dates from 1667.
Random Fountains along our Walk
While exploring the markets and visiting sites such as l’Eglise de la Madeleine and the Hôtel de Ville we found these three fountains to add to our collection.
Market Day in Aix-en-Provence
Our first full day in Aix saw us exploring the markets. A huge market of all types of goods stretches the length of Cours Mirabeau, which was just mere steps from the hotel.
We then wandered through the little streets to discover the food market, brocante, antiques and flowers. Along the way we watched as Aix unfolded before us.
These Moroccan pastillas stuffed with chicken, almonds, spices and cinnamon made an amazing addition to our picnic dinner. I found a recipe here that I plan to try.
Medieval clock tower and flower market
I must say that the lovely flowers took second place to the medieval clock tower (1510) which marks one corner of the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville.
We had lunch at Le Galois Brasserie at the recommendation of a local guide and it did not disappoint! Laced with balsamic vinegar and bits of cantal cheese, olives and lettuce, the salad held a surprise filled filo packet of cubed chicken and feta.
A visit to Cezanne’s Atelier
After a copious and very relaxing lunch we took a 20 minute walk to Cezanne’s studio, exploring more of Aix along the way.
But First, an unplanned side-trip :
Walking north from the Cathedral along rue Jacques de la Roque we came upon a majestic gate to an enclosed garden. This is the Mausolée Joseph Sec. It is considered to be a rare remaining example of Revolution architecture.
On to Cezanne!
Cezanne bought the land and built his studio here in 1901. The views from his studio are breathtaking! I can imagine Cezanne sitting here and surveying all the land around looking for inspiration.
Details were everything to him as an artist. The floor was not tiled but left in wood as the terracotta tiles were too red and would affect the colors of the palette. Also, the walls were a matte color between grey and blue to absorb light from the enormous windows.
All of the objects seen here were used in his paintings. The green provençal earthen ware olive jar on top of the chest is found in 22 different paintings! The printed brochure substituted for an oral guided tour and was chocked full of information.
What a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
Day Two of our stay in Aix
Cathédral Saint-Sauveur and the Cloitre
We covered a lot of ground on foot this day. After breakfast we visit the magnificent Cathédral Saint-Sauveur as well as the Cloitre (cloister) which is adjacent to it.
The baptistery of Saint Sauveur, the oldest part of the cathedral, was built in the early 6th century. The lower walls of the baptismal pool are original but the upper walls seen here were rebuilt in the 11th century and the dome above is late Ranaissance.
The main altar, which usually attracts my attention in churches, took second place to the many chapels. This one was particularly stunning.
I’ve always wondered how chapels such as these were paid for. It seems that, at least here, they were financed by clergymen, princes, nobility, builds and the university which is across the square from the church. The financer used the chapel for their own private and spiritual use.
This is the Notre-Dame-d’Espérance (Our Lady of Hope) chapel and it venerates the Virgin and Child. Saint Sauveur is filled with sculptures and tapestries – a true feast for the eyes.
The Cloister was beautiful and yielded lovely views of the church bell tower. The capitals of the columns narrate a biblical scene with the four corners surmounted by the four living creatures of the Book of Revelation. Below, the capital is a winged lion.
On the north-east pillar is a a bas-relief of Peter, holding the key to the Kingdom of Heaven. One of the nuns gave us a guided tour around the Cloitre , explaining all the carvings, the stories behind them and the scriptures from the Bible connected to them.
A Bit of Shopping
After lunch we dedicated ourselves to the art of shopping. We sampled and purchased cheese from several fromagers, purchased wine and visited a boulangerie where we bought a baguette and some pastries. Picnic dinner accomplished!
We then wandered through town past the Fontaine de Quatre Dauphins, stopping at several boutiques along the way, including Dammann Frères to buy tea to take back home. The day was lovely and we were enjoying being flaneurs.
Our primary destination was Santons Fouque on Cr Gambetta.
Artisans form these figurines with local clay and then hand decorate them. The tradition began as nativity crêches in the 18th century when the Revolutionary government banned nativity scenes and closed churches.
“In 1797 in Marseille, a man called Jean-Louis Lagnel started making small figures out of clay and selling them for an affordable price. People began to display their own nativity-type scenes at home. The santon became a form of political revolution.” [details attributed to Culture Trip]
Through the years the artisans added figurines to the production to include local shop keepers such as the boulanger or baker and other members of village life.
This particular atelier of the Fouque family has been around for 4 generations, 85 years. My choice for figurines included a small donkey carrying harvested lavender as well as a couple who have been harvesting the lavender by hand.
Our visit to Santons Fouque atelier was a memorable way to end our stay in Aix-en-Provence.
Where to next?
Our third morning in Aix-en-Provence we picked up our rental car and headed to Arles. We had no idea how much Roman history we were going to find!
Why not bring Aix home to you!
This and other images of Provence can be found on my photography site where I regularly upload images that can be purchased as prints, tapestries, phone cases, notebooks, etc. Thanks for taking a look.
Bonsoir! Merci pour les infos que vous avez m’envoyé et je serai dans cette ville pour 2 jours venant de Marseille par le train TER mois prochain! Quand je serai là-bas, je prendrai le bus 12 de la gare routière pour visiter les champs de lavandes, Terre Ugo où je decendrai le bus stop Madeleine.Bonne Soirée!
Merci pour l’information de transport entre Aix et les champs de lavande ! C’était bien gentil de votre part. En mars, il n’y avait pas encore de la lavande. Mais on a trouvé des champs de tulipes près de Jonquière ! Bonnes vacances!