Tapestry Museum

Moving on to the right, you’ll see a grand building at the far end of the square; it’s the former Archbishop’s Palace, listed as a historical monument. Come closer and take a look. The current edifice was constructed between 1650 and 1780, but we know that there used to be an older building here that served as the residence of the archbishops as far back as the early Middle Ages. The present four-winged building with its beautiful inner courtyard has housed the Tapestry Museum since 1909. It displays the many collections assembled by the archbishops over the centuries, including beautiful tapestries from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as stunning furniture pieces indicative of the building’s former grandeur. The ground floor houses temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, photography and performing arts. As for the courtyard, it comes alive every summer hosting Aix’s Ιnternational Music Festival since 1948. Originally dedicated only to Mozart, it now stages open-air performances, concerts and operas every July. Over time, they added bleachers and a stage to the courtyard, and then, when even that wasn’t enough, performances began to be staged all over town. Today, you can catch shows on the Carders’ Square, the Square of the Four Dolphins, as well as in the Grand Théâtre, a venue specifically built for the festival back in 2007. This is one of the biggest opera festivals in all of Europe, welcoming over 80,000 people each year. If you’re lucky enough to visit Aix in July, you’re in for a real treat!