Villeneuve
(Newtown>Newton?), a misleading name? This, Aix's seventh urban
development begun in 1583, looks distinctly not new: a constellation
of seventeenth century mansions, a recently renovated theatre rebaptized
"Jeu de Paume" (no.'s 17/19 rue de l'Opéra)
, theCollège Royal Bourbon (no. 22 rue de Lacépède),
and a tightly packed conglomeration of "row houses", all
distinct and vying with their neighours for elegance and grandeur.
Rue Eméric David (no. 16) - the Hôtel de
Panisse-Passis (1739) is a show-piece of architectural refinement.
The terrain on which Villeneuve stands, though labyrinthine
in the interstices, is geometrically defined by its three straight,
- and narrow! - arteries that pierce the ancient city walls and
gardens, allowing egress to the boulevard that encircles town, and
to the incomparable route du Tholonet and its neighbour, the route
de Vauvenargues. |
