Aix-en-provence, France

You can only imagine Cézanne's delight in stumbling across Aix. With its wonderful natural light, rich provençal hues and beautiful natural setting, it's any artist's dream come true. Long summers and a mere thirty-minute stretch to the Mediterranean means Aix has little trouble working its charm on present-day visitors either. Yet over the course of the centuries little has changed. Water still gurgles from old stone fountains, cars still rattle down the narrow, cobbled streets, and garlic still roasts in the sun at the colourful daily markets. Many would say this is France at its best - we'll just use the word sumptuous and leave it at that...