|
DAY 7
MONT SAINTE-VICTOIRE
AIX-EN-PROVENCE
OVERNIGHT IN AVIGNON
The university town of
Aix-en-Provence was once the residence of
the scholarly
Good King René of Anjou (1409-80), who held a brilliant
court renowned for its patronage of the arts and popular festivities.
King René was one of the most important figures in European culture,
a man ahead of his time anticipating the cultured Italian princes of
the Renaissance. An extremely literate man, he composed poetry, mystical
allegories and even illustrated his own books.
Later Aix was the seat of aristocracy, based on land-owning and the liberal
professions.
Considered one of the most charming centers in all of Provence, Aix is
now most famous as the birthplace and home of painter
Paul Cézanne and
his friend, the writer
Emile Zola.
Cours Mirabeau, the main street of Aix-en-Provence, is considered
one of the most beautiful of Europe. Four rows of plane trees distinguish
this lovely wide east-west boulevard, which has been the focal point of
Aix since the 17th century.
Be sure not to miss the youthful happening scene at the Café des Deux
Garçons. Across the street is the Court of Appeals, originally the Hôtel
de Maurel de Potevès built in 1647, with two Herculean Atlantes who support
the balcony over the doorway.
Les Alpilles by Vincent Van Gogh
St-Rémy-de-Provence was the birthplace of Nostradamus, 16th century
physician and astrologer. Near the town is a 60-foot-high Mausoleum
from the time of Augustus Caesar, one of the most outstanding in the Roman
world and the best preserved.
The painter Vincent van Gogh was treated here in the psychiatric center
at Monastery Saint-Paul de Mausole. Despite his illness, he was very productive during his stay and created some 150 of his
most famous and appreciated masterpieces including Starry Night,
Wheat Field with Cypresses and Irises
Olive Trees by Vincent Van Gogh
|
