Winter walking tours of Aix-en-Provence are super fun. I took this picture of a frozen Fontaine de la Rotonde a few years ago.

Founded in 1967 by Belgians Jean-Guy and Marie-Anne Roelandts, Chocolaterie de Puyricard is a manufacturer and purveyor of fine hand-made chocolates based here in Aix-en-Provence.

Did you know that Aix-en-Provence is situated only a couple hours drive from the southern Alps and about ½-hour from the Mediterranean? Aix is great as a “home base” for fun day trips any time of year, no matter whether they involve ski parkas or suntan oil.

The Place des Prêcheurs was created in the 15th-century and served as the center of social life in Aix-en-Provence prior to the completion of the Cours Mirabeau in 1651. The Église de la Madeleine looms large over the place (public square), having been a fixture here for over four hundred years.

Aix-en-Provence has 155 historic monuments, and one of my favorites is Fontaine d’Eau Chaude (Hot Water Fountain), also known as Old Mossy because of the thick layers of moss covering its exterior.