Fontaine de la Rotonde

The Fontaine de la Rotonde stands in the large roundabout at the western end of the Cours Mirabeau, the tree-lined boulevard that forms the main axis of Aix-en-Provence, and it is the monument that welcomes most visitors who arrive from the station or the motorway. The fountain was built in 1860, in the years when the city was modernising and opening new public spaces, and the design is by the architect Théophile de Tournadre. It is a monumental piece, around twelve metres high and thirty-two metres across, with a large basin ringed by sculptures and a central column. The fountain has a cast-iron basin, which was a novelty in the region when it was installed.

The decoration follows a theme of water and civic virtue. The basin is guarded by lions, and around it are sirens, dolphins, putti and swans that spout jets of water. At the top, three female figures sit on the summit, each one looking in a different direction and standing for an activity associated with the city. One represents Justice, and faces the Palais de Justice, the law courts of the city. A second stands for Commerce and Agriculture and looks toward Marseille, the port and trading centre of Provence. The third represents the Fine Arts and looks toward Avignon, the city of the popes. The statues are made of bronze and stone, and they stand out against the sky, particularly in the evening when the fountain is lit.

The fountain is also a reminder of the role of water in the history of Aix. The city takes its name from the Latin word for waters, Aquae Sextiae, after the Roman consul Sextius, who founded a garrison here in 122 BC beside thermal springs. Over the centuries Aix gained the nickname of the city of a thousand fountains, and in the old town you will meet fountains in nearly every square, from the moss-covered fountain on the Cours Mirabeau, which flows with warm water from the thermal springs, to the Fontaine des Quatre-Dauphins in the Quartier Mazarin. The water that feeds the Rotonde has come at different times from several canals, among them the Zola canal, named for the engineer who built it and the father of the novelist Émile Zola, who grew up in Aix, and later the Verdon canal and the Canal de Provence.

The fountain is open at all hours, free to see, and a popular meeting place. It is best in the morning, when the light is soft, or at dusk, when the lamps come on. Cafés and shops surround the roundabout, and the Cours Mirabeau stretches out in front, lined with plane trees, with elegant mansions on one side and cafés, such as Les Deux Garçons, where Cézanne and Zola once sat, on the other.

From here you can walk into the old town, to the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, the Hôtel de Ville and the Musée Granet, which has works by Cézanne. The Atelier de Cézanne, where the painter worked in his later years, is on a hill north of the centre, about twenty minutes away on foot. The fountain suits all visitors, as it is a good starting point for exploring the city.