The most beautiful fountains of Aix-en-Provence
Holiday in Aix en Provence
Did you know ? Aix-en-Provence bears its name from the Latin "aqua". The city has been known since the great age for the properties of its waters. The Romans built baths there, destroyed by the Saracens in the middle of the eighth century and rebuilt by the Counts of Provence, who cared for goitre and scrofula.
City of the baths, Aix became the city of fountains, thanks to the construction of aqueducts and dams, which made it possible to transport water from the fifteenth century. There are now no fewer than 23 fountains, which have made the reputation of this place. The oldest part of the town dates from the 16th century: it is the Deux-Canons fountain, located at the corner of Mignet and Boulegon streets, northeast of the historic center. It should not be confused with the fountain of the Nine Canons, which is located on the Avenue of Mirabeau and which was built at the end of the 17th century. The "canon" here designates not the weapon of war, but the outer part of the conduit from which the water flows. As the name suggests, the fountain of the Nine Canons possesses nine of them, in the form of a fish's tail. One can notice its particularly low curb, which allowed the flocks of sheep in transhumance to come to drink there. Still on the Avenue of Mirabeau, you can admire the immense fountain of La Rotonde, dating from 1860, as well as the fountain of Eau Chaude and its water at 18 degrees, which comes from the source of Bagniers. Finally, the fountain of King René, carved by David d'Angers, inaugurated in 1923, reminds us how much the city owes to this patron of arts, a formidable passer of the Italian Renaissance. For a complete tour of the fountains of the city, you can visit this site proposed by a passionate: http://www.fontainesaix.fr/.