Tuesday 13 September 2022

Aix en Provence

Beyond Arles the names of towns and cities seem more associated with the modern world than mediaeval pilgrimage routes. It is true that now the destination is Rome but routes to Rome have not had the attention of those to Santiago de Compostela. The  road following the coast, originally the Via Augusta, renamed Via Aurelia by Emperor Aurelia, will not be easy. It will be easier than the alternative Roman road Via Domitia which leads into Northern Italy via the Alps ie the route Hannibal took when he nearly took Rome by surprise.

A very contemporary Arts Centre is located on the outskirts of Arles and perhaps sited in tribute to Van Gogh who lived here for a time.

On the road to Aix in the town of Éguilles, and denoting the line of the Via Aurelia, an investigation leads me to find a section of Roman pillar with a bronze plaque inscribed in French indicating "VI avant Jésus Christ".

Nearby Marseilles was colonised by the Greeks first but then the Celts invaded and the Romans came to help out the Greeks. The Romans were sucessful in beating off the Celts but then stayed and the legion established a base in nearby Aix en Provencal their first permanent base in Gaul. Cézanne lived here too.





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