Place et Fontaine d'Albertas (Albertas Square and Fountain), Aix-en-Provence

Jean Agar, the adviser to the Parliament of Aix in the 16th century, sold his house to a family from Marseilles, the Paulhes. The Paulhes, in turn, sold the house to the d'Albertas family in the 18th century. The d'Albertas were originally from Alba, Italy. They settled in Provence in the 14th century.

In 1724, the Marquis Henri Reynaud d'Albertas, adviser to the King, engaged Laurent Vallon, architect of the city, to give his mansion a serious re-do. Henri had bought houses opposite his residence and had them demolished. Henri died in 1746. His son, Jean-Baptiste d'Albertas, entrusted Georges Vallon, son of Laurent, to carry on.

Georges Vallon, the new architect of the city, built an elegant small square in front of the d'Albertas residence, modeled after the royal plazas of Paris. Four mansions line the square (Place d'Albertas). They have near identical facades and wrought-iron balconies before large windows.

The fountain monument (Fontaine d'Albertas) is a large chalice of cast iron standing in a large circular pool. The pool is surrounded by a miniature iron railing fashioned by students of the School of Arts and Crafts of Aix-en-Provence.

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Sight Name: Place et Fontaine d'Albertas (Albertas Square and Fountain)
Sight Location: Aix-en-Provence, France (See walking tours in Aix-en-Provence)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Aix-en-Provence, France

Create Your Own Walk in Aix-en-Provence

Creating your own self-guided walk in Aix-en-Provence is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Aix-en-Provence Fountains and Squares Tour

Aix-end-Provence is known for its fountains. With more than 1,000 fountains, a tourist could spend weeks walking around the city without glimpsing them all. The fountains began appearing under the Roman empire when the Romans discovered Aix's natural thermal water source. They referred to the area as Aquae Sextiae or the Waters of Sextius.

The fountains appear throughout the city and are... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles

In the Footsteps of Paul C茅zanne

Paul Cezanne created a scandal. While staying at the home of Doctor Paul Gachet in Auvers-sur-Oise, he painted an homage to Edouard Manet's work, Olympia, based on Titian's Venus of Urbino. Titian painted a goddess. Manet painted a prostitute. In his "New Olympia," Cezanne painted himself in the painting.

The nude New Olympia, seemingly a muse, reclines on her couch.... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles

Aix-en-Provence Introduction Walking Tour

Aix-en-Provence is a city in southern France, about 30 km (or 20 mi) north of Marseille. Aix was founded by Roman Consul Sextius Calvinus in 123 BC. Calvinus called it Aquae Sextiae, which means "Waters of Sextius," after the warm springs in the area. During the Middle Ages, it was the capital of Provence.

Aix reached a high point after the 12th century as it began to emerge as a... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles

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