Marseille visit

Thu, 06 May 2010 07:01:45 +0000

Marseille in the south of France is the country’s second largest city after Paris. Right on the Mediterranean coast it is one of France’s great historic cities.
An ancient city in the Bouches-du-Rhone ‘departement’ of Provence, Marseille is the largest French seaport and one of France’s great historic cities. It was functioning as a port even before Julius Casar conquered the Gauls.

Settled by the Ligurians the town was taken by the Phoenicians around 600BC, the Greeks in 540BC and the Romans two thousand years ago. As a result of such long settlement, Marseille is rich in history. The bustling atmosphere of Marseilles also reflects its great port, fishing fleets and specialism in seafood. The city’s one-time reputation for gangsters and crime was depicted in French and American films, the best-known of which to English-speakers is ‘The French Connection’ starring Gene Hackman.
But time has moved on and Marseille is now better known for its museums and galleries, as a port of call for Mediterranean cruise ships, for its football team, Olympic Marseille – and for its seafood.

Marseille is heaven for seafood fans. As well as the many fresh fish dishes you can choose between various versions of the traditional fish soup, bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse du Ravi and Bouillabaisse du Pecheur are variations commonly served in the city’s restaurants. Ravi (‘delighted’) features six different fish while the Bouillabaisse du Pecher (‘fisherman’) has three.
‘Moules marinier’, another staple seafood dish of Provence, combines mussels with Provencal herbs and finely diced onion. Eat in the Vieux Port (the old port) looking out over the Mediterranean and you’ll see the bustling harbour at work. Alternatively, go into the quieter streets of the Quai de Rive Neuve. The dry local white wines suit fish and seafood very well but many people choose a rose wine – ‘pink’ somehow seems right in the heat of the Provencal summer.

Many holiday makers combine a visit to Marseille with visits to other towns on the Mediterranean coast. St-Tropez, Cannes, Cassis, Sainte-Maxime, Frejus, Antibes, Nice, Cap Ferrat and Monte Carlo all have distinct characters and charm. With their beaches and glamour they will definitely appeal to the committed hedonist.

Inland, the towns of Aix-en-Provence, Arles and Avignon will appeal to culture vultures. In particular you may want to visit the summer theatre festival in Avignon and the exhibition in Arles of Roman antiquities. The latter is on until mid-September 2010 and features a bust of Caesar and many artefacts excavated from the river bed of the Rhone.

In Marseille, some major sights to see are the 5th century Abbaye de St-Victor, the Old Port, the Romanesque Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, the former prison of the Chateau d’If, the famous street known as La Canebiere, the historical ruins in the Jardin des Vestiges, the old town square Estienne d’Orves and the 17th century building La Vieille Charite, now an exhibition centre. Museums not to miss are the Musee d’Histoire de Marseille, Musee de la Marine, Musee des Docks Romains (a Roman warehouse), the art Museum (Musee Grobet-Labadie) and the Musee d’Histoire Naturelle.

High-speed trains (TGVs) run frequently between Paris and Marseille and take just three hours. The local airport, Marignane, serves destinations around Europe and in Africa.
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Vence

Thu, 06 May 2010 04:21:58 +0000

While Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a pretty hill town perched above the Côte d’Azur, it is filled with daytrippers. Its lesser-known neighbour, Vence, is a real town where you can happily spend a week dipping into the superb collection of patisseries and restaurants and the exquisite Matisse chapel, the artist’s self-proclaimed greatest work. The stained-glass windows in this perfect white, modernist chapel on the hill opposite Vence’s Roman walls flood the interior with coloured light, and wall-height line drawings cover the white ceramic tiles.

But the chapel is just the cherry on the cake; Vence itself is reason enough to drive 20 minutes inland from Nice airport. It’s the archetypal idyllic small French town, with a garden square edged with cafes, pretty houses within Roman walls and shops that sell quality Provençal ceramics and linens, a cut above the tat you find in more touristy places.

Vence’s forte is daily life: sipping rosé in dappled sunlight under the plane trees in the square, buying freshly baked bread from the boulangerie and punnets of Carros strawberries at the daily market. Feast on dishes such as wood-fired roast lamb and rosemary potatoes at La Terrasse du Clemenceau or escalope à la gorgonzola at Luigi’s. Serious gastronomes dine magnificently on modern Provençal haute cuisine at Auberge les Templiers (set menus €39-€59).

Fine dining demands repose, and while Mick Jagger stayed at uber-swanky Château du Domaine Saint-Martin (10 minutes’ drive out of town), I prefer the town centre’s Hôtel le Provence, a sweet two-star with Provençal décor, a flower-filled breakfast garden and rooms from €35.

In summer, musicians liven up Friday and Saturday nights (mid-July to mid-August) at the Nuits du Sud franco-latino music festival, but Vence is fabulous at any time of the year.

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Marseille visit

Vence