'City of a Thousand Fountains'

Spectacular weather is one of the major attractions of Provence.  The deep blue skies of summer are seldom clouded, although there is some rain in spring and autumn.  

In 123 BC, Consul Sextias Calvinus established a camp beside some warm springs in the broad lower Rhône Valley.  It was named Aquae Sextiae - Aix-en-Provence. 

Marseille was founded by the Greeks (they called it Massalia) and used it as a base for their colonisation of the Rhône Valley. Dismissed by many as an ugly port city, there is actually a lot on offer and it is one of France's most energetic cities. There are several sites of interest - the old port, the hilltop Basilica Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, several museums, Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation, the Hospice de la Vieille Charité and, of course, the Château d'If, one of the most notorious of France's historic island fortresses.

Other interesting ancient sites are the ruined Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard and the amphitheatre in Arles. It was frequently painted by the great Post-Impressionist painters Cézanne and Van Gogh.

Near Arles is Les Baux, a haunting medieval hilltop village. The many olive trees found throughout Provence provide a popular fruit and one of the important staples of the local cuisine, a fine olive oil used extensively in the cooking of local food.

• Museums ~ The Musée Granet for fine arts and archaelogy, and the Musée de Tapisseries for tapestries are both worth a visit. 
• Fountains ~ Three of the best within the town are situated on cours Mirabeau. 
• Pavilion de Vendôme ~ Home to furniture and works of art by Van Loo.
• Atelier Paul Cézanne ~ Kept exactly as it was when he died in 1906, this building in Montagne Ste-Victoire, 15 kms east of Aix, was the inspiration for many of his paintings.