Aix began in 123 BC as Aquae Sextiae, a Roman springs and spa situated in a fertile plain with a warm climate near the Arc River, a tributary of the Rhône. For almost 900 years it was fought over by a succession of barbarians, Saracens, knights, and others. By the 13th century the first university was founded and it finally became a peaceful centre for the Arts and for scholarship. Aix prospered under a series of rulers, the final and best known of whom was “Good King René” (1409-1480). After his death and its subsequent amalgamation with France, Provence continued to prosper, and fine palaces, squares and fountains were built in Aix. There was even a regional parliament, which existed until the French Revolution. After that it entered into a long period of somnolence, nourished by its three main activities – agriculture, education, and justice. Here is a good source of more information: http://guides.travelchannel.com/aix-en-provence/city-guides/historical-background .

Today Aix is home, jointly with Marseilles, to a tri-partite “University of Provence”, which jointly offers the complete gamut of higher education. The University of Aix-Marseilles III in Aix, with over 40,000 students, is famous internationally for language training and other cultural activities … more or less what the founders of the original university had in mind six centuries earlier.

The city has two general “quartiers” (districts), separated on roughly an east-west plane by the Cours Mirabeau avenue. To the north is the older historic part – cathedral, City Hall, small shops, etc. -- which was originally encircled with walls. To the south, beyond the site of the original walls, we find mostly fine houses and the universities. Everywhere there are fountains – both elaborate and humble --- which give it the nickname “city of 1,000 fountains”. For more information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aix-en-Provence .

If you visit the nearby French Riviera, by all means don’t fail to take the side-trip to this beautiful and historic city.