Activities in Aix en Provence

Music: The big event for classical-music fans is the Festival d’Art Lyrique: lavish productions featuring some of the best voices from around the world are held in the magical setting of the courtyard of the former Archbishop’s palace. Other productions can be seen year round at the Theater du Jeu de Paume,17-21 rue de l’ Opera , and for more unusual stuff, La Fonderie, 14 cours St Louis .

Theater: The theater scene in Aix is an exciting one, with lots of small theaters
showcasing experimental stuff and less ordinary productions. The pick of the best for new plays and creative exchanges includes the Theâtre Antoine Vitez, Universite de Provence, 29 avenue Robert Schumann ; the Theâtre des Ateliers, 29 place Miollis; and La Fonderie, 14 cours St Louis.

Dance: The esteemed Ballet Prejlocaj has established its headquarters at the Cite du Livre, turning Aix into a center for new talent in modern dance. Danse a Aix (website: www.danse-a-aix.com) is a popular dance festival in summer.

Films: The main cinemas are Le Cezanne, 1 rue Marcel Guillaume; Renoir, 24 cours Mirabeau; and Mazarin, 6 rue Laroque . For arthouse movies try Salle Armand Lunel at the Institut de l’Image, Cite du Livre, 8/10 rue des allumettes.

Tickets for most shows can be purchased directly from the venues or from the FNAC ticket network at the tourist office . Le Guide des Sorties is a free monthly publication with listings for events in Aix and Marseilles. Available from the tourist office and from some venues.

Shopping in Aix en Provence

You will find all the usual Provençal fabric and earthenware in Aix, and a wide range of olive-based products and local wines, but what the city is really famous for is its calissons, a marzipan-like confectionery made from sweet almonds and preserved fruits. They are available in most confiseries (sweet shops) in the city, but for a better selection head for Calissons du Roy Rene, 10 rue Clemenceau, or Leonard Parli, 35 avenue Victor Hugo.

Antiques too are big in Aix, and the best places to go hunting for them are in the Mazarin district, around the cours Mirabeau, in the area around the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) and
the Palais de Justice (Law Courts) and also Sextius-Republique. A good bric-a-brac market takes place every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning on the place Verdun, in front of the Palais de Justice: turn up early to catch the best bargains.

The marche aux fleurs (flower market) takes place on the same mornings on the place de l’Hotel de Ville. Monoprix on the cours Mirabeau is a handy superstore located right in the city center, and sells a bit of everything, from groceries to clothes.

Shops are open 0800-1200 and 1400-1900, although some remain open at lunchtime. Most shops are closed on Sunday. Sales tax varies between 5.5% (food) to 19.6% (luxury goods).

History of Aix-en-Provence

Aix (Aquae Sextiae) was founded in 123 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus, who gave his name to its springs. In 102 BC its neighbourhood was the scene of the Battle of Aquae Sextiae when Romans under Gaius Marius defeated the Cimbri and Teutones, with mass suicides among the captured women, which passed into Roman legends of Germanic heroism (cf Jerome, letter cxxiii.8, 409 A.D. ).

In the 4th century AD it became the metropolis of Narbonensis Secunda. It was occupied by the Visigoths in 477. In the succeeding century, the town was repeatedly plundered by the Franks and Lombards, and was occupied by the Saracens in 731. Aix, which during the middle ages was the capital of the county of Provence, did not reach its zenith until after the 12th century, when, under the houses of Aragon and Anjou, it became an artistic centre and seat of learning.

With the rest of Provence, it passed to the crown of France in 1487, and in 1501 Louis XII established there the parliament of Provence which existed until 1789. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the town was the seat of the intendance of Provence.

Introducation of Aix-en-Provence

Aix (IPA: /?ks/), or, to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, Aix-en-Provence is a city in southern France, some 30 km north of Marseille. It is located in the Provence region, in the Bouches-du-Rhone departement, of which it is a sous-prefecture. Population is approximately 130,000.Founded in 123 BC by the Romans, Aix-en-Provence draws its origin, its name and, to an extent, its reputation, from its thermal springs. (Even to this day, the city boasts no fewer than 23 fountains.)

Aix began as the capital of Provence under the successive rule of the Celts, the Romans, the counts and the monarchs, until 1790, when it became merely the chief town of the area.

Today one can spend days walking the twisted cobblestone side streets or exploring the numerous mansion-lined squares, and admiring the superb architecture, the legacy of the wealthy merchants and local dignitaries who helped turn this city into
the ‘Florence of Provence’ in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This big student town is still home to many universities and is a center for the arts, with numerous festivals taking place in Aix-en-Provence all year long, the most famous of which is undoubtedly the International Festival of Lyrical Art and Music.

With the now famous Montagne Ste Victoire as a backdrop, Aix is surrounded by beautiful scenery, which has inspired many artists and intellectuals, among them Paul Cezanne. In 2006, the city is marking the death of its most famous son, Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), with many special events, so there is no better time to visit.