Musee du Vieil-Aix (Old Aix Museum), Aix-en-Provence

The Musée du Vieil-Aix is a small local history museum set in a 17th-century townhouse. It was donated to the city in 1922 by Marie d’Estienne de Saint-Jean and opened in 1932, with help from folklorist Marcel Provence. The building still keeps original features like a central staircase and painted ceilings, showing how a private home was arranged.

Inside, the collections focus on daily life and local traditions, with furniture, tools, ceramics, and clothing from earlier centuries. One section shows traditional Provençal costumes worn for festivals. The museum is also known for its santons and a rare 19th-century “talking nativity scene” with moving wooden puppets, as well as a 17th-century model by G.B. Gaulli (Baciccio) made for a baptistery project in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The museum also presents information about a 15th-century triptych, The Annunciation, painted by Barthélémy d’Eyck around 1443–1445 and commissioned by the merchant Pierre Corpici, though the original work is not kept in the museum. Some rooms are arranged like old interiors, helping visitors understand how people lived through furniture and everyday objects.