In the city of Aix-en-Provence, north of Marseille, southern France

 "We live in a rainbow of chaos" -- Paul Cézanne

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(in southern France) The city of Aix-en-Provence (or simply, "Aix") is found about 30 km (~19 mi) north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, Aix lies just one mile (~1.6 km) from the right bank of the Arc River -- on the crossroads of main routes to Italy and the Alps. The Roman proconsul Sextius Calvinus built a huge entrenched camp here (called Aquae Sextiae) about 123 BCE. Nearly two decades later, the Roman general Marius routed the Teutons at the Battle of Aix. The Visigoths, Franks, Lombards, and Muslim invaders from Spain successively plundered the town. As the medieval capital of Provence, governed by the counts and dukes of Anjou, Aix flowered as a center of learning and the arts. Its university was founded in 1409 ,and recognized by papal bull in 1413. In 1486 Provence passed to the French crown, and Aix became the seat of a parlement (a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France)

+ North of the tree-lined cours Mirabeau (one of Europe's great boulevards) lies the Old Town with Roman ruins and structures of the Middle Ages around the archdiocesan Saint-Sauveur Cathedral. To the south is the “new” town, rich in fine 17th- and 18th-century houses, surrounded by recent urban growth. The mineral-rich hot springs (most noted is the Thermes Sextius) are still used for rheumatic and vascular diseases. Serene, sun-dappled, and fountain-splashed, Aix is an agricultural center, noted for Provençal olives and almonds from the countryside -- painted by Paul Cézanne, whose atelier (studio) is preserved as one of several city museums.

+ A pocket of left-bank Parisian chic deep in Provence, Aix is mainly an upscale city, its leafy boulevards and public squares lined with the 17th- and 18th-century mansions, punctuated by gurgling fountains. Imposing stone lions guard its grandest avenue, the cafe-rich cours Mirabeau, where fashionable Aixois pose on polished pavement terraces, sipping espresso. (While Aix is a student hub, its upmarket appeal can make it seem a bit pricier than other Provençal towns.) No streetscape better epitomizes Provence’s most graceful city than the 440 meter-long, fountain-studded cours Mirabeau, a street sprinkled with Renaissance hôtels particuliers (private mansions) and crowned with a summertime roof of leafy plane trees. It was laid out in the 1650s and later named after the Revolutionary hero the Comte de Mirabeau. (Cézanne and Zola hung out at Les Deux Garçons, one of a string of busy pavement cafes.)

+ One of Aix' great charms is its historical center: ramble through it, drinking in divine streetscapes as you decide which historical, cultural or culinary highlight to sample next. Featured here, is the graceful cours Mirabeau (the city's main artery), to the south of which is the 17th-century Quartier Mazarin -- home to some of Aix’ finest buildings and streets (including the Place des Quatre Dauphins, ennobled by a baroque fountain of the same name).