Since 1990, visitors to Aix have been able to follow in the footsteps of Cezanne courtesy of 3,500 markers on the pavements and footpaths, as he wended from home to studio to painting site and then to cafes in town after a long day at the easel. Now the Aix-en-Provence …

I am a big fan of Cézanne. I visited his studio a dozen times. I like his story and his paintings. I often offer this visit to my students coming for French immersion in Provence. The visit lasts 30 minutes. It can be done with a guide in French, with …

The massif looks like a fortified stone ridge or a sharp triangle pointing to the sky, depending on how you approach Mont Sainte-Victoire. Regardless of the time of day or season, the only certainty is that the mountain, located on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, never looks the same twice. Artists …

It’s 8:30 am and I’m walking west on the Cours Mirabeau toward the Fontaine de la Rotonde. The Cours is temporarily lined with wooden stalls for vendors working the holiday market — santoniers with their clay nativity figures, clothiers, toymakers, specialty food vendors, artists. The stalls are beginning to open, …

The Gardanne Market It’s Sunday and I’m Heading to the market in Gardanne. It’s a cold, grey, wet morning — brumeux. I arrive at about 8:00, just as the market is beginning to open and park the car at the head of Boulevard Carnot, directly across the street from the …

I’m up early, driving to l’Estaque. Heavy traffic along the Autoroute to Marseille, but not nearly what it will be during rush hour. I arrive around 7:45, with the sun just above the horizon. Visiting Cézanne’s L’Estaque I head first to Corbières at the eastern edge of the village. Cézanne …

As Aixcentric followers will know, the 18th-century country house, Jas de Bouffan, which was home to the Cezanne family for 40 years, was closed over a year ago for renovation.  I went in for a visit on its last day of opening, and my goodness, it needed renovation: think cold, …

Guest Post: If you have already had your fill of Paris with its Eiffel Tower and other sights, then it’s time to rediscover France. In this article, we suggest you go on a tour of Aix-en-Provence, which is located near Marseille. We deliberately overlooked the most popular and iconic sights …

Cézanne’s Studio Like most young artists learning to paint, I was attracted to and inspired by most of the impressionistic and post-impressionistic painters. I loved the work of Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Gauguin and Cézanne and many more. When I arrived in Aix-en-Provence for the first time, I rushed up the …

By Aixcentric: Long before the A8 autoroute came along with its thundering heavy traffic, it was easy for Paul Cezanne to wander across to the plateau at La Constance from the family bastide at Jas de Buffan, to paint the Mont Sainte-Victoire, the Pilon du Roi and the new viaduct …