Overview: Provence
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| Provence: an overview |
| Attractions Around Marseille |
| Attractions beyond Marseille |
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Attractions beyond Marseille
Aix-en-Provence
The nearly 100 fountains that grace the shaded streets and squares of Aix-en-Provence, or Aix to locals, 20 miles north of Marseille, are a bubbling reminder that the city has been known for its thermal waters since Roman times. The city's wide central boulevard, Cours Mirabeau, is flanked by two superb fountains - at the west by the large cast-iron Fontaine de la Rotonde and at the east by the Fontaine du Roi René, which depicts the 15th century monarch holding a bunch of muscat grapes. Also along the boulevard is the Fontaine d'Eau Thermal, which spouts heated water from the natural springs. Along with its fountain, the tree-lined boulevard is known for its pleasant cafés, among them Les Deux Garçons, as it was founded by two waiters in 1792.
A university city that is, in many ways, the cultural and historical capital of Provence, Aix is filled with fine museums and a wealth of ochre-coloured 17th and 18th century hotels particuleurs lining such squares as Place des Quatre Dauphins and Place d'Albertas. The birthplace of Paul Cézanne, the pioneering Impressionist artist, Aix honours its native son with a trail of bronze markers that depict places where he lived, relaxed, and worked. At the Musée Granet, several of Cézanne's paintings are on display, along with those by artists such as Rubens and Rembrandt. More works by the artists are on view at the Petit Musée Cézanne, while the Atelier Paul Cézanne preserves his last work space.
Other noteworthy museums include the Musée des Tapisseries housed in the Palais de l'Ancien Archeveché with a collection of Beauvais tapestries, and the Musée Paul Arbaud, which displays books, manuscripts, and a collection of Provençal earthenware. The courtyard of the Palais de l'Ancien Archevehce is transformed into a theatre each summer for opera performances during the Festival d'Art Lyrique. Adjacent to it is Cathédrale St-Sauveur, representing a mosaic of architectural styles that include a 5th-century baptistery, an 18th-century cupola supported by Roman columns, a Romanesque doorway, and an elaborate Gothic façade. Among its interior treasures is a 17th-century triptych by Nicolas Froment, which combines scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
Arles
The former Roman capital of Provence 55 miles northwest of Marseille, Arles is an attractive city on the banks of the Rhone River offering reminders of its ancient past and the life of its most famous resident Vincent Van Gogh. The Roman and Romanesque monuments in Arles are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Romans built Les Arènes, a 12,000-seat venue for gladiator contests, which is now primarily a stadium for bullfights held between Easter and the end of September. Visitors can also tour the Théatre Antique, a ruined Roman theater used for open-air film, dance, and music festivals during the summer. Other Roman sites include Thermes de Constantin, riverside baths, and the Cryptoporticus du Forum, vast underground storerooms. The Musée de l'Arles Antique offers a rich collection of Roman artifacts along with early Christian items.
Van Gogh, who came to Arles in 1888 and produced some 200 canvases within a year, is commemorated at the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh, which exhibits paintings by artists whom he inspired. Van Gogh reproductions, along with letters written to his brother Theo, are on view at a gallery called La Rose des Vents. A former hospital and gardens where the artist recovered after cutting off his ear, Espace Van Gogh is often the venue for changing art exhibitions.
Visitors with an interest in traditional Provençal life will not want to miss the Musée Arlaten, a museum founded by the Nobel Prize winning poet Frédéric Mistral. Housed in a 16th-century town house, the museum is filled with furniture, crafts, costumes, and life-size dioramas. The Musée Réattu is noted for its fine collection of photographic works, paintings by 18th- and 19th-century Provençal artists, and drawings by Picasso. Arles also boasts one of the finest Romanesque churches in Provence, Cathédrale St-Trophine, which features an elaborately carved scene of the Last Judgement on its portal.
