Back to the Tour de France
28.10.2024 25 °C
For a short break from our Tour de France we flew south to the city of Imperia on the Italian Riviera but forgot to take the sun with us. However, our super-luxurious accommodation and most amiable host meant that we had a wonderful time despite the weather. From our vantage point we had great views of our surroundings in the port…
Breaks in the weather gave us a chance to visit wonderfully atmospheric hilltop villages like Cervo…
Only a hundred or so locals live in this medieval enclave today. Most younger people prefer spacious seafront apartments rather than the cramped medieval houses of their parents and ancestors. However, it is easy to succumb to the romantic notion of living here in an ancient villa overlooking the Mediterranean…
Many older properties in parts of Italy are ridiculously inexpensive and the towns and countryside are awash in fixer-uppers that can be bought for as little as one euro. However, the cost of the fix-up, and the bureaucratic pitfalls, might well outweigh the value of such a project. Part-finished reconstructions litter many streets - abandoned along with the owner’s dream of an affordable holiday pad in the sun. Practicalities soon quashed any notions we may have had in that direction and after a few lovely days we took the train back to France – to Aix-en-Provence…
The revered French artist Paul Cezanne was born here in 1839 and he spent the final years of his life here from 1902 to 1906. This is his statue in the heart of the old city…
Unfortunately, everything Cezanne seems to be closed in preparation for a major retrospective of his life and work in 2025, so we had to wander the wide boulevards looking for scenes that he may have painted. Shadows of ancient plane trees on the Rue Victor Hugo may have attracted his attention…
Some of Cezanne’s works have sold for more than two hundred and fifty million dollars, so we wonder what we could get for this photo? However, there is more to Aix than Cezanne. There are the fountains. This is the best known – the Fontaine de la Rotonde…
The tourist board claims there are a thousand fountains in the city, but really there are only a hundred, and we only found a handful. The vegetation covered fountains on the Cours Mirabeau are the most scenic…
The many fountains, fed by natural springs, were the original water supplies for the citizens and it is claimed the water is still perfectly drinkable today. Like many European cities, the heart of Aix-en-Provence is a traffic free zone and the pedestrianized Cours Mirabeau becomes an enormous craft market on Sundays. Potters, painters, woodworkers and artists of all types offer a smorgasbord of unique hand-crafted artifacts. We are always fascinated by the quality of the French markets, especially those selling fresh food, and Aix was no exception. It’s time for wild mushrooms now and this stall was loaded with girolles, chantarelles and the rather frighteningly named trumpets of death…
Finally - no French city would be complete without an antique carousel for the kids, and Aix-en-Provence is no exception…
Next stop – the ancient Roman city of Arles.
On the road again. Always a pleasure for those of us who follow you on your travels. Thank you.
by Susan Fitzwilson