About Aix-en-Provence (a 15 min drive to the Rotonde/Cours Mirabeau (underground parking there) :

Venturing north of the Cours Mirabeau into the pedestrian old town, or the Vieille Ville, is where you’ll find the Medieval Quarter with narrow walkways, remnants of the medieval wall (at Rue des Guerriers and Rue Gaston de Saporta) and the beautiful Saint Sauveur Cathedral. Aix Cathedral, as it’s also known, was built on the site of a pre-Roman pagan temple, which later became the site of the Roman Forum and as the legend says, a temple of Apollo. One of the oldest sections of Aix Cathedral is the 5th century baptistery of St John the Baptist.


In the old town, you’ll also find the ornate architecture of the hôtels particuliers, former private residences of wealthy noblemen…and more of the Fontaines de la Vieille Ville.

The main thoroughfare through the city is the Cours Mirabeau, a tree and café lined boulevard that divides Aix, with the old town to the north (built on the old Roman settlement) and the Quartier Mazarin to the south. Constructed in 1650 along one section of the city’s ramparts, Cours Mirabeau provided a broad promenade, lined with massive mansions and dotted with beautiful fountains. This was the place for the wealthy and noble elite to be seen. Today, it serves much the same purpose and is still a popular place for locals and tourists who enjoy the many shops and cafés under the shade of the plane trees.

At one time, Cours Mirabeau had 4 fountains along its route (3 of which remain) – Fontaine des Chevaux Marins (Fountain of the Seahorses), which was removed in 1778 to make way for new roadways, Fontaine des Neufs Canons (Fountain of Nine Cannons) built in 1691, served for a time as a watering trough for livestock, Fontaine d’Eau Chaude (Fountain of Hot Water) from 1668 is so named for the fountain’s thermal water sourced from the hot springs of Bagniers, and whose nickname ‘moussue’ refers to the moss that covers the fountain, and Fontaine de Roi René (Fountain of King René), built between 1820-1823 in honor of King René of Anjou who was a defender of the arts and is credited with bringing the Muscat grape to Provence.