Salon-de-Provence Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Bouches du Rhône (13300) Population: 34,050 Altitude: 90 m Nearby: [ Aix-en-Provence 32 km | Istres 19 | Lambesc 14 | Marseilles 49 | Martigues 32 | Miramas 10 | St-Chamas 16 ] Photos: The Fountaine Moussue at night (38 k) The Porte de l'Horloge clock campanile tower at night (22 k) The Porte de l'Horloge tower from inside the walls (23 k) A closeup of the clock on Porte de l'Horloge tower (25 k) Fountain statue Adam de Crapponne (1526-1576) (29 k) Chateau de l'Empéri outer courtyard (28 k) Chateau de l'Empéri inner courtyard (29 k) Nostradamus plaque on his house/museum (24 k) Below: [ History | Dates | Museums | Dining | Hiking | Lodging ] This town, centered between Aix-en-Provence--Arles and Marseilles--Avignon, was a fortified around the hilltop fortress Chateau de l'Empéri. At the center of the now built-up modern town the ancient circular walls have entries through the medieval Porte de l'Horloge (17th-c) and the Port Bourg Neuf (17th-c). The 12th-13th-15th century chateau is one of the prettiest in Provence, with walls, courtyards and towers in excellent well-restored condition (see Museums below; photo-6. photo-7). A popular attraction in Salon is the Fontaine Moussue [photo-1, at night], on the Place Crousillat just outside the Porte de l'Horloge. This 18th-century fountain is covered by a thick mound of moss. The fountain is surrounded by plane trees planted over the centuries: one was planted in 1799 to mark the end of the Revolution and another was planted in 1919 to mark the end of the Great War. Salon-de-Provence is a busy modern town with loads of shopping possibilities, good hotels and plenty of activities, including flying. The ancient center is a nice tourist site, well worth a visit, but the town would be better as a base for visiting the region rather than a destination for itself. Nostradamus lived here for the last 19 years of his life. His last residence is now fully restored as a museum on rue Nostradamus (the old rue du Moulin-d'Isnard) in the old center [photo-8, plaque]. Canal. In the 16th century, native son Adam de Craponne built the canal bearing his name. The canal brought commerce and the town prospered. Photo-5 is a pretty fountain with a statue of Adam. An earthquake in 1909 caused serious damage to the town. Before the Revolution Salon was the seat of several religious communities. Much more recently, Salon-de-Provence is the seat of the Ecole Nationale d'Agriculture and the well-known Ecole de l'Air. The air base is the home of France's national precision flying team. Name First record, 9th century: Villa Salone History Ligurian-Roman: A Ligurian oppidum is located at Ste-Croix. The Roman road Aurelian Way is still visible crossing the fields on the edge of town. The remains of a Roman monument called "les Antiquités" and a pyramid are located at St-Jean-de-Bernasse. Medieval: Salon was ruled by the archbishops of Arles from the end of the 10th century. The town became was active commercial center through the 13th and 14th centuries, with markets and fairs Dates, Numbers Market: Wed. Foire: 6 May; 22 May; 29 Sept, 10 Nov Féria: end June, beginning July Office de Tourisme 56 cours Gimon Tel: (33) 490 56 27 60; Fax: (33) 490 56 77 09 Not a great Office de Tourisme compared to many of the smaller villages in the department; not much documentation, and no transportation information. Museums Musée de l'Empéri in the inner courtyards of the 12th-16th century chateau-fortress Musée Grevin an historical and war museum and a wax museum in the old town center Entry: 25 F Musée Nostradamus in the old town center, 11 rue Nostradamus Tel: (33) 490 56 64 31 Entry: 25 F Closed: Sat and Sun mornings Dining With a wide variety of restaurants to choose from, we spent a fun evening in Pizzassimo on the rue de l'Horloge (in the fortified center of the old town). Pizzas are great, of course, with fresh tomatoes, and the ambience is good -- everybody seems to go there. Cyber Café The Cyber Café Colisée-Oriental is a large terrace café on the Place Crousillat, a nice old café and in a great location. Hiking Maps: IGN (1:25,000) 3143 Ouest "Salon-de-Provence" IGN Serie Verte (1:100,000) #67 "Marseille, Carpentras" Most of the surrounding countryside is farmland and airbase. East of the autoroute, north of Pelissanne, are hills and woods with some small lanes and trails suitable for country walks. Lodging Listing available We stayed at the Grand Hotel de la Poste, with a corner room opposite the Porte de l'Horloge and overlooking the Place Crousillat and the Fontaine Moussue. This is an old hotel with style. The room wasn't very big, but it was far from the cold chain-hotel atmosphere. We took the night-view of the Porte de l'Horloge [photo-2] from our hotel balcony.