Aix-en-Provence (Aix-en-Provence) - one of the most beautiful cities in France, located halfway between the mountains of Luberon and Marseille .Stone-lined ancient streets, the palaces of the Provencal nobility of the 17-18th centuries in the Italian baroque style, the elegant facades of old mansions with delicate forged balconies, the town hall with the Gothic clock tower and, of course, the many fountains that once saved the city from the plague - all this creates the unique charm of the city, along which the wind - the eternal Provencal Mistral-minstrel - carries the dry leaves of plane trees .
Despite its magnificent historical and cultural heritage, the city is full of life and young creative energy - mainly thanks to the local university, the famous European Music Academy and the many art festivals that fill the historical capital of Provence with the atmosphere of a living creative laboratory.
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How to get here
The nearest international airport is in Marseilles. From there, and from the railway station, auto-expresses go to the city. You can also get from the airports of Toulon, Nimes and Nice. Post Paris - Aix-en-Provence: 2 hours 50 minutes by TGV express train.
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City `s history
In the 4th century BC. e. Lower Provence was occupied by the Celtic-Ligurian tribes. Their capital, Antremont, was just north of the location of modern Aix-en-Provence. In 123 BC. e. The Roman consul Sextius defeated the Ligurians and, in the place of their settlement, erected a colony for veteran veterans Aqua Sextiae (Latin Aqua Sextiae). In the 4th century the city received the status of the capital of the Roman province of Narbonne, and for the next eight centuries turned into a tasty morsel for visas, franks, pawnshops and Saracens.
Its heyday is reached only in the 12th century - under the rule of the counts of Provence (houses of Anjou and Barcelona), which made Ex their residence and brought into fashion a magnificent court culture with concerts, carnivals, festivities and luxurious meals .In the 15th century, the Duke of Anjou, the nominal king of Sicily, King René turned Aix into an important cultural, commercial (import of muscat and almond) and a university center .He arranged public holidays and processions, which lasted several days and attracted hundreds of troubadours from all neighborhoods .
In 1486, after the annexation of Provence to France, Aix-en-Provence became the capital of the region and the seat of the royal governor .In 1501, Louis XII moves the institutions of the Supreme Court here and establishes a regional parliament in the city that was so unpopular that it served as an excuse for saying: "Parliament, Mistral and Durance (the river) are the three main disasters of Provence" .But it is in this era in Eksse that residences and Italian Baroque-style mansions are built with an abundance of sculptural elements and compositions .In Exa several times stopped Louis XIV .It was here that the peace with Prince Conde was signed .Hence the well-known deputy from the third estate Honore de Mirabeau .
In Aix-en-Provence, the great painter Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) was born and lived most of his life. Student years at the Bourbon College brought him to Emile Zola. At the University of Aix, young Cezanne studied law, but without completing the course, began to study at the School of Fine Arts of Aix-en-Provence. The father did not approve of the choice of his son, but supported him, having allocated a significant annual rent. After the "Parisian" wanderings and creative searches of the 1870s and 1880s, the artist will finally return to Aix-en-Provence, where he will find his best "model" - Mount Saint-Victoire.
How to navigate
The grand boulevard Mirabeau divides the city into two, so unlike each other parts .On the one hand - it's the streets of the Old City, overgrown with fashionable and designer boutiques, respectable restaurants, cozy coffee shops, artistic workshops and collecting people to local colorful markets with lavender oil, pastis, Marseille soap and Provencal sweets .The legendary place of this quarter is the cafe des Deux Garcons, whose visitors at different times were Zola, Girardeau and Cocteau .On the other hand, the grandiose quarter of Mazaran is pacified with its wide, sparsely populated streets, classic and baroque facades and tall forged fences that hide behind the lush garden vegetation magnificent mansions of the local aristocracy and numerous state institutions of the 17-18th centuries .
Book popular hotels in Aix-en-Provence at the best prices
| Renaissance Aix-en-Provence Hotel from 9 994 rubles Aix-en-Provence 320 Avenue Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Villa Gallici from 16 196 rubles Aix-en-Provence Av. de la Violette | Le Pigonnet from 9 442 rubles Aix-en-Provence 5, avenue du Pigonnet |
| Hôtel Cézanne Boutique-Hôtel from 6 548 rubles Aix-en-Provence 40 Avenue Victor Hugo | Aquabella from 6 203 rubles Aix-en-Provence 2, Rue des Etuves | Grand Hôtel Roi René Aix en Provence Center - Mgallery collection from 6 203 rubles Aix-en-Provence 24 Boulevard du Roi René |
| Hôtel de France from 5 514 rubles Aix-en-Provence 63 Rue Espariat | Hôtel Artea from 5 514 rubles Aix-en-Provence 4 boulevard de la République | Grand Hotel Negre Coste from 9 649 rubles Aix-en-Provence 33, Cours Mirabeau |
| La Caravelle from 3 446 rubles Aix-en-Provence 29, boulevard du Roi René | Le Concorde from 3 791 rubles Aix-en-Provence 66-68 Boulevard Du Roi René | Hôtel Le Mozart from 5 583 rubles Aix-en-Provence 49 Cours Gambetta |
Kitchen and restaurants
In the restaurants and cafes of Aix-en-Provence, freshly prepared fish, the famous soup with basil, Provençal stew (with herbs) and garlic aioli sauce served with seafood, fish soup and croutons should be sampled. As a gastronomic souvenir, local almond cookies with candied fruits and icing - kallissons and aniseed pastis liqueur, which includes more than 50 extracts of plants and spices. It is used as an aperitif and traditionally diluted with water in a ratio of 1/5.
By its appearance, this most popular drink among local residents is obliged to ban the production and sale of absinthe. In the early 20th century, when the ban on the "green witch" came into force in most European countries, one of the main absinthe producers, Pernod, changed the formulation of the drink, replacing the wormwood with anisome and significantly lowering the degree from 70% to 30%. So in 1915 the pastis appeared. In 1922, the degree of liquor rose to 40%, and in 1938 - to 45%.
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Aix-en-Provence
Start your walk from the quarters of the Old Town, turning north from the picturesque square and plane of the boulevard Mirabeau (Mirabeau), laid in the 18th century on the site of the fortress wall .Here among the small squares and narrow streets you can find, decorated with paintings by Rubens and Van Lo, the church of St. .Madeleine, the medieval massive facade of the town hall, the old grain market (where the post office is now located), the Gothic cathedral of the Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence Saint-Sauveur (or the Cathedral of the Holy Savior, 15-16 cc .) with a cozy indoor club and triptych "Burning Bush" by Nicolas Frohman (15th century) in the interior .
In the Archiepiscopal Palace of Anse-Archeves, the Museum of Tapestries (Musée des Tapisseries) exhibits tapestries created in Beauvais in the 17th and 18th centuries (open every day except Thursday, 10 .00 to 12 .30 and from 13 .30 to 18 .45; entrance - 2, 5 euros), and the Museum of the Old City (Musee du Vieil Aix, open from Thursday to Sunday with 10 .00 to 12 .00 and from 14 .30 to 18 .00; entrance - 4 euros) .Be sure to find here the first Gothic church of Provence - the Church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte, belonging to the Order of Hospitallers .It is interesting for the restraint of the style, the special shade of the stone, the abundance of light in the interior, the unique stained-glass windows of the middle of the 19th century and numerous picturesque canvases, among them the "Crucifixion" of Delacroix .The belltower of the church at 67 meters high is the highest point of the city .
Returning to Mirabeau Boulevard, pay attention to the creation of the French sculptor David D'Angers (Pierre-Jean David D'Angers, XIX century) - on the statue of King René Dobro with a bunch of grapes in his hand. At the other end of the boulevard, this sculptural dominant is counterbalanced by the fountain "Rotunda" by the architect Theophile de Tournadre (Théophile de Tournadre).
On the south side of the central boulevard lies Mazarin quarter, formed in the middle of the 17th century as a fashionable area of aristocratic residences .On the Saint-Jean-de-Malte Square in the house of the abbot, dating from 1671, you will find the Museum of Granet (Musée Granet, open Wednesday to Monday, with 11 .00 to 18 .00; entrance - 10 euros), the collection of which includes exhibits of fine art and archeology, in particular items from the excavations of the ancient capital of ligres - Antremona .The museum is named after the French painter of the era of classicism and the native of Aix-en-Provence, François Marius Granet, who handed over to the museum a large collection of canvases .
Atelier Cézanne (Atelier Cézanne, 9, Avenue Paul Cézanne) is also known to be a former artist's workshop, storing creative tools, objects used for numerous still lifes, several finished canvases, and, most importantly, the atmosphere that reigns in these walls during the life of the landscape painter .The Place d'Albertas is remarkable for its architectural ensemble, created in 1735-1741 by the order of the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber Jean-Baptiste d'Albert .A miniature square with a fountain is formed by the facades of three mansions, partially adopting the dimension of the division and decoration of the Italian palazzo .
The Fondation Vasarely Foundation (1 avenue Marcel Pagnol) is a unique architectural complex, a museum designed in the late 1960s by the French architect, graphic artist and sculptor of Hungarian origin, Victor Vazareli. The exposition includes his numerous abstract-geometric experimental works - the results of searching modern architectural and graphic languages. (Open Tues.-v. from 10.00-13.00 / 14.00-18.00, full rate - 9 EUR, preferential - 6 EUR (for youth from 16 to 26 years and students) and 4 EUR (for children from 5 to 15 years).
Another popular cultural center of Aix-en-Provence is the spectacular, complex-media library La Cité du livre. Here, in the reconstructed space of the old match factory, it will be interesting to look at lovers of contemporary literature and cinema. There are cinema shows, lectures, performances, temporary exhibitions, and in October - the traditional "Book Festival" (la Fête du livre), dedicated to the literature of a particular country or a well-known modern author. In the center, the well-known Ballet Preljocaj troupe has found its shelter.
Festivals of Aix-en-Provence
June the historical capital of Provence meets the festival "Music on the streets" (Musique dans la rue), at which time its streets and squares are transformed into open concert platforms where jazz, street opera, electronic music, folklore, rock and many other musical and vocal sounds genres. There are more than 40 concerts open to all comers.
The most "loud" festival of the city is the Le Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, a celebration of opera and stage art and classical music. The festival is held annually (since 1948) in June and July and is always full of outstanding names and productions. The halls and scenes of Aix, and a large Greco-Roman amphitheater in particular, accept guest performers from all over the world: operas and plays of the musical theater are sounded here, concerts, solo programs, conferences and master classes for young vocalists and musicians. The ticket price is from 30 to 350 EUR.
Early July - the time of the "Baroque of Aix en Baroque", chamber concerts of baroque music, the November Aix takes the festival of European short films. From October to December, "Pianistic Nights" ("Les Nuits Pianistiques") take place throughout Provence.
Around the city
In the vicinity of the city you can climb the picturesque mountain of Saint-Victoire (1010 m) - the favorite "muse" Paul Cezanne, see the castle of the 14th century in Vauvenargues, which belonged to the counts of Provence, the archbishopric, and in 1958-1973 - Picasso and his grave). Between Cabasse and Carces is one of the largest Cistercian abbeys of Provence - a 12th-century Romanesque monument of the Thoronet monastery.
The medieval Provencal village of the 11th century Entrecasteaux is remarkable for its beautifully preserved architectural and historical landscape, the fortification castle complex of the 16th and 18th centuries and the regular park, broken by the famous French horticulturist Andre Le Nôtre (1613-1700). The picturesque small town of Aup (Aups), which has preserved traces of fortifications, fountains and ancient dials of sundials on the facades of buildings, is considered the capital of the black truffle. Here is the Simon Segal Museum (1898-1969).
Located in the neighborhood of the department of Var will delight lovers of eco-tourism and outdoor activities: here is the impressive for its size and beauty canyon Les Gorges du Verdon .The natural regional park, spread over 178 000 hectares, is especially picturesque in October .You can drive along the grandiose canyons and rapids by car or rent a catamaran or kayak on the Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon lake for a walk along the "bottom" of the gorge .Also here you can go rafting, canoeing, paragliding, cycling and hiking .Staying best in a tiny village next door, glorious with its faience, smoked sausages and stewed rabbit - Moustiers-Sainte-Marie .
In the village of Ferrasieres (Ferrassières) it is best to call in early July - during the local Lavender Festival, then you are lucky not only to watch how the lavender is collected and processed, but also to master the wisdom of obtaining lavender essence. Here you can also visit the Perfumery Museum, purchase various cosmetics based on lavender oil and cycle or walk around fragrant and picturesque lavender fields.
Photos of Aix-en-Provence (43)