To say that Aix-en-Provence (usually shortened to Aix and pronounced “X”) is a historical city would be an understatement. Aix was founded by the Romans in 123 BC. 123 BC! It passed to the crown of France with the rest of Provence in 1487. It has long been a university town: it was first granted a royal charter for a university in 1409. Today about 40,000 students attend one of a long list of teaching and research colleges and universities. Aix holds several significant musical festivals every year and the town is home to a long list of museums, galleries, and libraries. Today Aix has a population of about 140,000.
Aix-en-Provence is often referred to as the city of a thousand fountains. A wide thoroughfare, planted with double rows of plane trees, bordered by fine houses and decorated by fountains, follows the line of the old city wall, and divides the town into two sections. The new town extends to the south and west; the old town, with its narrow, irregular streets and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, lies to the north. Situated on this avenue, which is lined on one side with banks and on the other with cafés, is the Deux Garçons, the most famous brasserie in Aix. Built in 1792, it was frequented by the likes of Paul Cézanne, Émile Zola and Ernest Hemingway. It sounds like is was, and still is, a great place for people watching.
Since 1967, one of the best-known European chocolate makers, Chocolaterie de Puyricard, has had a Chocolate Factory and store in the hills about 5 miles from Aix. All chocolates are made by hand and I’m hoping we’ll be able to take a tour. And maybe they give free samples. If not, I understand there are actually 20 Puyricard stores around Provence. Naturally we’ll be bringing boxes of chocolates along home for all of our blog followers. Of course it IS a really long flight so it’s possible not all of the boxes will actually make it home.
And another specialty of Aix is the manufacture of Calissons, a lozenge-shaped confection made from almonds and crystallized melon. Sounds yummy. . . ummm. . . intriguing, doesn’t it?
And just one more fascinating little tidbit: Aix is also the site of an alleged sighting and landing of a UFO in 1981 that is taken seriously by GEIPAN, the department within the French Space Agency responsible for investigating aerospace phenomena.
See, I told you Aix is truly an interesting place!
Provence Journey 