Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence: history & character

Founded in 122 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus around the thermal springs that gave the city its name — Aquae Sextiae — Aix was long the capital of the County of Provence before its 1481 annexation to France. The 17th century was its golden age: the Provençal nobility built more than 160 hôtels particuliers, the Cours Mirabeau was laid out in 1651, and the monumental fountains punctuating the city date from this period. Aix is also Paul Cézanne's city, born here in 1839 and painting the Sainte-Victoire mountain to the east endlessly. The Provençal tradition of café terraces and shaded inner courtyards has always included dogs: you encounter them on Cours Mirabeau, at the Place Richelme market, and on the Sainte-Victoire trails. The city strictly enforces dog-fouling fines and the summer fire-risk closure of the massif — two local constraints to plan for.