The idyll between the ancient Romans and the hot springs gave rise to hundreds of colonies and cities throughout the European continent. This seaside passion laid the historical foundations of the current French city of Aix-en-Provence. Even the year of its foundation is known. It happened in 123 a. C. and received the name of Aquae Sextiae, that is, "the waters of Sextio", in homage to Cayo Sextio Calvino, consul at that time.
Today thermal tourism is not the main reason for traveling to Aix-en-Provence, but it is undeniable that in the old city there are spas and hotels that offer the healthiest baths. However, it is not necessary to go to them to discover the intense link between this corner of Provence and the water. This is something that is felt from the first moment, since the walks through the town always have as a reference the numerous fountains scattered throughout its streets and squares.
Its nickname of "the city of a thousand fountains" is not strange. Although, as a good nickname, this one also tends to be exaggerated, since inventory lovers have only counted about 500 sources. Now it is OK! There are monumental ones and others tiny, some very artistic and others more modest, more ancient or more modern, but each one with its name and its little history. Discovering them is part of the experience of visiting Aix-en-Provence.
You don't have to be an accomplished explorer to find them. They appear for all essential visiting places. For example, they are in front of the stately square of the Hôtel de Ville or in the eighteenth-century atmosphere of the Place de Albertas. There are also fountains around Riquelme square, one of the busiest, either on market mornings or in the afternoon when the typical terraces of Provencal cities appear.
Between all these points there are narrow streets with an irregular layout and restricted traffic. Some sections are even covered, such as the famous Passage Agard. Walking from here to there is how the emblems of Aix-en-Provence's heritage emerge. And being a city more than two thousand years old, monuments from different eras, styles and functions come together.
Of course, religious buildings abound, with the cathedral of Saint Saveur at the forefront. A sacred space since ancient times, as there was a Roman temple dedicated to Apollo here. The current Catholic enclosure is worth a long visit to appreciate the valuable art it houses. Especially the spectacular Triptych of the Burning Bush by the Gothic painter Nicolas Froment.
Not far from the cathedral you can see more churches such as the Madeleine, the Augustinian convent, the Oblates chapel with its elliptical dome or the church of San Juan de Malta. Precisely next to it, the interesting Granet museum opens its doors. And also just a stone's throw away is the Hôtel de Caumont, whose 18th-century aristocratic rooms have been transformed into a dynamic arts center.
In the short journeys between all these places, there is never a lack of vision of one of those "thousand" sources. You may discover the fountain of the Dolphins, that of the Preachers where a relief recalls the consul Sextius who founded the city or the small fountain painted with the bust of Frederic Mistral, the Provençal poet who helped so much with his verses to make the language local stays alive.
However, if we talk about fountains in Aix-en-Provence, we must go to the Cours Mirabeau, the great artery of the historic center. A unique avenue that allocates one of its sidewalks to a long succession of palatial and official buildings. While the other is dominated by the awnings of bars and restaurants, some of which keep the best of tradition, both in their cuisine and in their decoration.
And the fountains on the Cours Mirabeau? It has two, one at each end of the avenue. In the upper part, it is located right at the foot of the statue of King René of Anjou, a key figure in the medieval history of Provence. While at the other end of the Cours Mirabeau the Fontaine de la Rotonde, the largest and most spectacular, unfolds. Which coincidentally also has to be linked to a statue installed next to it.
Although in this case the figure does not stand on a pedestal, but is the bronze of a man on a natural scale who seems to walk through the same square as locals and foreigners. This man with the bushy beard wears a rather old-fashioned suit, a hat, a long cane, and a backpack loaded with brushes and a folded easel on his back. It is the representation of the most illustrious son of Aix-en Provence: Paul Cézanne, the inspiration for much of the first avant-garde of the early 20th century.
A figure of fame and worldwide repercussion, but who spent most of his life in his hometown, where he also died in 1906. He walked from childhood until his death through those same streets that tourists visit. An itinerary remembers him showing the place where he was born or the cafes he used to frequent, as well as passing by the houses where he lived or the school where he received his first lessons, incidentally together with his friend and future writer Émile Zola. .
This route also leads to the aforementioned Granet Museum, which exhibits up to ten works by Cézanne. And also delves into the last workshop of the painter. The studio is a bit far from the center, but it is worth visiting this space where time seems suspended. His work tools are kept there, as well as vases or plaster figures that the artist transferred to his canvases. Very specific objects that his brushes turned into basic icons for later cubist art and abstract forms. All thanks to an innate talent and the sources of inspiration that he found throughout his life in Aix-en-Provence.
