Bastides Et Jardins De Provence

The Provence, charming around a noble and wealthy Aix and a Marseille rich in its merchant class, still keeps the traces of the sumptuous way of life that characterized the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. The high society showed a constant interest in all currents of thought without, however, denying its Provençal identity. An active patronage allowed artists of eclectic backgrounds to express themselves in the city as well as in the country. The bastides multiplied in the 17th and 18th centuries, revealing, in addition to the richness of their interior decorations, a sometimes very elaborate composition of their parks and gardens.

Beyond the analysis of the architectural fact constituted by the bastide and its domain, this book allows to discover the complex phenomenon of a true social project which governed for more than two centuries the land market, agriculture and thus the landscape of a whole region.