Provence and Occitanie: Day 5
- lendroitheureux
- May 18
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 5
Aix-en-Provence: Cezanne and a Mountain, Two Men and Fountains
Monday morning, our second (and first full) day in Aix-en-Provence, was a mixed weather bag, at least in the sky. While the previous day was awash in Provencal torrents and Mistral, this day started out bright blue. Large, fluffy-floaty pounders of clouds skated across the blue sky canvas backdrop like mountains in the distance, waiting, begging for an impressionist interpretation. This fine morning, with no rain in sight but with clouds abound, would lead us to an impressionist’s landmark. An outdoor temple to a master. An overlook overlooking a mountain, ringed by residents and olive trees.
Paul Cezanne was born, raised, and went to school in Aix-en-Provence. At the height of his artistic prowess, he would return to paint Mont Sainte-Victoire about thirty times. In his later years, he had property just north of central Aix where he could walk to his favorite spot, set up his easels, and do his thing. Now referred to as Terrain des Peintres, the site is a bucolic overlook, nestled among private homes and surrounded by tall trees. It provides an optimal view of Mont Sainte-Victoire, just over 10 miles to the east. At the overlook, one will be greeted not only with singing birds and splashes of colorful paint left on the path’s rock (NOT Cezanne’s paint, contemporary artists come here to muse) but also with a series of nine easels displaying replicas of his work created here.
I wasn’t sure we would be able to make it to Terrain des Peintres during our stay in Aix. We were only in the city for two days, and the visit would require some kind of transportation, as it's about 2 miles north of where we would be wandering by foot. I knew a public city bus went in that direction, but I wasn't confident that the info I had gathered online was accurate. Which bus to take? Where's the bus stop? Could we make it back on one ticket each? Would we still have time to do a nice walk when we returned? Was the rain going to stay away? Could the mountain even be seen on such an overcast day? Was it all for naught? My brain in terms of the terrain and rain and Terrain des Peintres was jumbled. I needed to get out and find out.
So, as Lani was preparing for her day in the hotel room, I skipped out, paused at a plaza, got my coffee and day’s baguette, sat at a fountain, pondered, lit my cigarette and smoked. Fontaine des Augustins, where I rested for a moment, is a mere block away from Hotel des Augustins and just off a major plaza where the large, majestic Fontaine de la Rotonde greets all comers. It’s also just minutes away from the Aix Office of Tourism. And just outside of the tourism office stands a grand sculpted statue of Paul Cezanne. Things were coming together!
While I was disappointed that Fontaine de la Rotonde was not flowing (yet another fountain sans aqua on this trip), I was not disappointed by its splendor. It’s large. And round. And rotund.
I am not one to visit tourist bureaus on the regular. Perhaps it’s my own arrogance, thinking that my months of research and planning make the local professional, sanctioned advice redundant. Perhaps it’s my own “I don’t need to look at a map” thinking while navigating (I always look at maps, btw). Regardless, I had never used a tourist bureau. Until now. The Office of Tourism was extremely helpful when I blundered in first thing on a Monday morning asking, in my oh-so-perfect French (HA!), how to get to Terrain des Peintres by public bus. The woman at the counter explained, very patiently, to take the #5 bus which stops just outside the tourist office building, near the Rotonde and statue of Paul Cezanne. They sell bus tickets inside the tourist office at kiosks. Easy Peasy!
The short bus ride to Terrain des Peintres was easy, smooth, quiet, and uneventful. The northern part of Aix, just outside the historic town center, is a series of quiet, tree-lined residential areas with houses and apartment buildings. Not without its French charms, I am sure, but I was soon very pleased that the initial idea to walk was jettisoned. It’s all uphill and really not very close. The bus was ideal, and with the ticket we were able to transfer for free on the way back.
After a short walk up a stone path, we quickly realized why Cezanne loved this spot. The view of Mount Sainte-Victoire was perfect. The small patch of park is surrounded by homes, and there are a number of trees framing the majestic mount, but its peak and asymmetric slopes were clearly visible. It was a cloudy day that seemed to threaten rain all day, but the clouds made the scene more dramatic. At times, the mountain was bathed in sunshine, with rays shooting down from the heavens as if the angels on high were blessing us with their glowing glow. While at other times, rolling clouds and rain partially obscured Sainte-Victoire. We saw a variety of lighting, hues, and shades in the short time we were there. It’s really fun to think that Paul Cezanne witnessed what we saw, in the exact same spot, and that with his master’s eye put the scenes to canvas. Priceless.
The bus arrived almost right away when we descended the painters path. In less than 15 minutes, we were back in Aix and ready to begin the walk I had laid out for the day. I set up our walk to begin at the hotel and then Fontaine de la Rotonde. We got off the bus on the opposite northern part of Centre Ville, so I was in a bit of a kerfuffle as to how to proceed. Pish posh! We just walked. I improvised our route and updated the map as we went along.
We were able to see all we wanted. We visited the wonderful Saint-Sauveur Cathedral and its cloister, which, like many church complexes we visited (and would visit), was full to the brim with wonderful religious artworks across many genres and types, many quite violent. How violent, you might be asking? I appreciated the two white statues that greeted us almost immediately that were holding severed heads with tongues a-hanging. These are found in the chapel to Saint Mitre, a Greek who settled in Aix and subsequently had his noggin chopped off for performing a miracle (witchcraft they called it). He then proceeded to pick up his severed head and walk with it to a church in Aix. His remains are in a crypt in his chapel in Saint-Sauveur.
The church also offers one of the creepiest dolls I have ever laid eyes upon. It pays homage to The Cult of the Infant Jesus in Aix-en-Provence. It posits that in 1658 one Jeanne Perraud had a vision of a 3-year-old Jesus holding the cross. But wait a moment, you might be thinking, this is a 3-year-old. Christ was nailed to the cross at the ripe old age of 33. What gives? Well, near the end of the medieval period in Europe, many artists depicted the infant or younger Jesus holding the cross or with an actual crucifix visible at his nativity. This is a nod to the predetermined nature of the death of Christ and the saving of the world. Salvator Mundi and all that. Anywho, this doll is wild and may give you nightmares.
Another of the more memorable sections of the church is the baptistery that dates back to the 6th century (that’s the 500s to you and me) and is most likely built on an even older Roman temple site. It just blows my mind when I try to comprehend the age of some of these wonderfully preserved relics.
Of course, Aix is known as The City of Fountains and I like fountains, so we went a-searchin’ for flowing (and not flowing) fonts of joy. We saw large ones, small ones, ornate ones, and some that were simply public taps dripping into an old stone basin. This was infinite joy to me. We also stopped at an Italian bakery and got some pastries and sat in a tiny plaza next to a…Fountain!... and enjoyed our snack.
All over central Aix, one will find little, square-ish shaped medallions with a large “C” and the name “Cezanne” engraved into them. These are embedded into the sidewalks, plazas, and stone walkways. They are meant to be a walking tour to “follow in the footsteps of Cezanne.” While we didn’t follow them, we came across a bunch, and that was fun. One of the medallions was near the birth home of Cezanne, which I had on our itinerary as a place to stop by. It turned into a task. A maddening hunt. A foolish errand that almost evolved into a fool's errand, and since I am often a fool, I suppose it was such an errand from the outset. I had the exact address (28 Rue d’Opera), and the Cezanne medallion marked the spot. But for some reason I was unable to track down the door and facade (complete with a small marker on the wall). We managed to wander up and down the street and several side streets for quite some time before realizing we were right in front the whole time. We saw a fountain that was not on the itinerary during the hunt, so that was nice. When we finally found the home, I was pleased as a painter at a pallet. If that’s a thing.
Near to where Paul Cezanne's birth house can be easily found by all who seek it out is the small Place Ganay with a tended-to green garden and a statue (more of a bust on a tall plinth) of another native Aixois and childhood pal and fellow troublemaker of Cezanne: Emile Zola. Zola is given respectful digs, surrounded by small green local flora in a mixed residential and commercial plaza that is not only quiet but also a thoroughfare. It's a good place to stop and say hello to he who wrote Les Rougon-Macquart series (set in the fictional city of Plassans based entirely on Aix-en-Provence).
Another address I wanted to wander by was 38 Cours Mirabeau. Cour Mirabeau is a busy commercial fairway lined with trees and sporting a bunch of cool fountains (starting with Rotonde) and statues (ending with Fontaine du Roi Rene). It’s a very wide boulevard, yet the pedestrian “sidewalks” are easily two or three times more roomy than the motor vehicle area. As you walk from statue to fountain to plaza and pass by number 38, you might see two large bas relief men carved into the facade of a building that was originally a mansion (built in 1648). This is now the Tribunal de Commerce.
The two large shirtless men (“Les Atlantes” as per the historical marker out front) were created by artist Jacques Fosse. They flank the fabulous wooden door, hold up a balcony, and flex their fabulous abs. All this is wonderful, but my favorite part is the pubis. The artist, this Jacques Fosse, made the choice to include just a hint, but a bountiful hint, of pubic hair on each Les Atlantes. These men have been tasked with holding up a balcony with their heads and hands, in perpetuity, while wearing only loincloths. I suppose it makes perfect sense that the groin covering may slip and expose the pubis. I found, and still find, much joy in the pubis. Viva Aix!
We ended our day with a splendid dinner at an Italian place literally across the tiny Rue de la Masse from our hotel. Restaurant Pizzaria la Caleche is cozy, warm, friendly and fresh. How fresh? The Caprese salad with parmesan, loads of greens, ruby-red tomatoes, burrata, and basil greeted us with a "bonsoiree and buonasera"as it was placed before us. Then we devoured it. The salad did not complain. Lani got fresh ravioli made in-house, and I got an entire Quatre Fromagio pizza. My pizza was a perfect fire-baked pie: chewy crust, a bit seared and crunchy on the outside, melty gooey cheese, and a balanced tomato sauce with herbs and garlic. It was all quite good.
Overall, Aix-en-Provence is a small, charming, aesthetically pleasing, artistic city with great food, great views, and great architecture. Two days is plenty to get a solid sense of Aix, but I would have liked even more. There’s always more to see in any locale, and while I don’t have any FOMO when it comes to Aix, I would love to return and wander, look, appreciate, and just be with Aix. And maybe see that darned Fontaine de la Rotonde flowing (ok, one FOMO there).
Stay tuned and tune in for the next entry when we head to Avignon, hang in a papal palace, dance on a bridge, and look at water wheels.
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