On the routes of Provence
Round trip from Cannes
The Cannes film festival has come: why not take advantage of the sumptuous Event to discover Provence, its villages and environments?
From Cannes the trip heads to Aix-en-Provence, the old capital of Provence that with its soft landscapes, its fountains and palaces was the protagonist of Cezanne’s canvases and of the Plassans by Emile Zola. The Latin name “Aquea Sextiae” comes from the richness of its thermal springs, well known since old times. Still today you can enjoy such richness at the Thermes Sextius (www.thermes-sextius.com), wellness centre rising at the very heart of Aix where until the XIX century the ancient roman thermal baths were located. Water is the characteristic element of the city: it spurts out of the 40 civic fountains, true masterpieces of urban décor. Here mentioned are the three fountains of the Cours Mirabeau, the Champs Elisee of Aix, called: “des Neuf Canons”, “d’Eau Chaud”, “du roi René” (from the name of the good king that introduced the Muscat). This pleasant sound delights the walk in the city centre, characterized by the “hÔtel particuliers”, Saint Saveur Cathedral (not to be missed is the Romanic cloister and the Merovingian baptistery), and the square of the Hôtel-de-Ville whose clock tower is embellished by four wooden statues, showing up one by one according to the season. After a break in one of the numerous cafes of the square, we suggest a stop at the Cezanne’s atelier, today turned into a maison-museum from which it’s still possible to observe the silhouette of the Sainte Victoire Mountain, recurrent theme of the great post-impressionist master (an exhibition celebrates his masterpieces, together with Picasso’s, from 25th May to 25th September: www.atelier-cezanne.com). At the Musée Granet it’s possible to visit a few canvases by Cèzanne, but to fully appreciate the atmosphere of Aix-en-Provence, we suggest a visit to the Museum des Tapisseries, the Musée du Vieil Aix, Provencal products’ markets (the marché provenzal with olives, aromatic herbs, cheeses, honey and marmalades), and the International Lyric Festival that in July livens up Aix-en-Provence with its elegance (www.aixenprovencetourism.com).
Getting out of this pout pourri of beauty and architecture, lavender and thyme fields welcome the visitor, at times interrupted by bastides, enchanting Provencal residences.
On the way, it’s a must a stop in Arles, a city that from the roman times to the late nineteen hundred frames almost the entire journey of western Art. Here you can find the wonderful roman amphitheatre dating back to the I century and a Theatre dating back to Augustus times that was probably able to host 12thousand visitors at any time. But Arles is also home of extraordinary examples of Romanic-Provencal art such as the Saint-Trophime church whose marvellous portal (1178) carries the incision of the Last Judgement, the Twelve Apostles, the Annunciation and the Nativity. Crossed the threshold in front of you opens up a casket to be discovered, characterized by a XII-XV century cloister, in Romanic-Provencal style with richly decorated capitals. We have to remember this is the place where Vincent Van Gogh lived, “Arles’ master”. If today you happen to be on Place Lamartine, now home of the Musée Départemental de l’Arles Antique, try to imagine the famous yellow house in which Vincent Van Gogh lived from February 1888, until the first months of 1889. The same house that inspired numerous painting of the master and that also hosted the friend Gaugin – it is here that the famous episode of the ear cutting occurred.
Heading east, a must-visit is the Pope Palace in Avignon, built in 1309 and still today one of the greatest gothic palaces in Europe. We also suggest a visit at Digne-les-Bains, a little village on the river Bléone, well-known for its baths and thermes. The city boasts another miracle of gothic architecture, the Notre-Dame-du-Bourg Cathedral, and an extraordinary collection of aromatic plants at the recently-set-up botanic garden of the Cordeliers. We anticipate that at the beginning of August, Digne entirely becomes one with the landscape, in a jubilation perfumes and colours in occasion of the local lavender feast. This little centre is indeed located in the very heart of lavenders’ cultivation, and from here you can observe wonderful endless expanses of fields that since 1981 deserve the name AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée). Today there are proper routes to travel in order to inhale the very peculiar lavender’s scent (www.grande-traversee-alpes.com/fr/je-voyage/par-la-route/la-route-de-la-lavande), while listening to cicadas’ creaking – other significant Provencal icon. For those wishing to deepen the knowledge on lavender and its perfumes, Grasse is one of the most renowned centres with a Museum entirely dedicated to this.
Coastal cities too – Marseille, Martiguees and Saints Maries Sur La Mer – maintain their own peculiarities that to coloured houses, to picturesque little ports and to an excellent sea gastronomy. The sea itself is absolutely crystal clear and though it’s geographically near to the Cote d’Azur and Cannes, it is a true peaceful paradise that doesn’t share anything with mundane with it.
Arts And Culture, Culture, Destinations, Museums, Nature, Travel And Holidays,
Tags: Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Avignon, Cannes, Cannes Film Festival, Cezanne, Cote d'Azur, Digne-les-Bains, Emile Zola, Gaugin, Grasse, lavender, Marseille, Martiguees, Provence, Saints Maries Sur La Mer, thermal baths, Thermes Sextius, Van Gogh
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