In this section: Marseille | Aix-en-Provence | Avignon
La Moliere, our farmhouse property in Provence, is a short drive from each of these famous cities. Marseille is France’s largest port and second biggest city and offers a vibrant multicultural experience.
Aix-en-Provence is one of the popular cities in France and is famous for its link to the painter Cezanne. Avignon was the centre of the Papacy for much of the fourteenth century and contains the Gothic “Palais des Papes” where they resided until their return to Rome.
Marseille was founded by the Greeks in 600BC and remains today a vibrant multi-cultural port based on its major trading links to the rest of the Mediterranean. It is the oldest city in France and its second biggest, which many sights of interest.
The main sights for visitors are based around the Vieux Port (Old Port) – this is the heart of the city. The north side of the port is the oldest part of Marseille and contains numerous cafes where you can buy the city’s main speciality – bouillabaisse. Much of the fish for this is sourced from the fish market that occurs every day along the Quai des Belges
Running east from the Vieux Port is the legendary Canebiere, built by Louis XIV and considered the “Champs-Elysees of the south”. This has many elegant shops and a number of interesting museums.
And then there is the climb up to the basilica, Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, the neo-Byzantine cathedral of the city from which the view is unforgettable
Aix-en-Provence is traditional Provence. Lots of grand old houses, an air of cultured prosperity, it is reputedly the second most popular city in France after Paris among French people
It was the first Roman town on Gallic soil, established in 123BC, the Romans being attracted to the warm springs and its location on main route from Italy to Spain. Today it is also a major university town, with students making up about 20% of residents during term times.
A must-see area is the Cours Mirabeau – the main promenade. This is the town’s principal attraction and meeting point, where people stroll, shop, and sit at cafés. It is covered with a canopy of trees, and contains some huge fountains. The belle-epoque style Deux Garcons café where Cezanne hung out is a particular highlight. And of course there are numerous fashion boutiques and jewellery stores.
Just north of the cours Mirabeau is Vieil Aix, the heart of the city – a tangle of small squares and ancient buildings and numerous fashion shops. A famous flower market is held in this area at the Place de l’Hotel de Ville every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and the Place Richelme holds a daily vegetable market, which we occasional use for buying food for our breaks.
Or there is the Cathedrale St-Sauveur, a rather odd church built in all sorts of different styles – Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque - over a long period. The cloisters here are especially nice
And further to the north of the city is the Atelier Paul Cezanne, where the artist painted his last works. The studio is scrupulously preserved and is still cluttered with the easels, palates and other objects that Cezanne painted in various still lives. A 15 minute walk from here is the plateau where Cezanne painted many of his views of Mont Ste-Victoire. There is also a Cezanne trail around Aix which includes in father’s hat shop and his school.
Avignon offers one of the finest views in France – the Palais des Papes seen from the Rhone Bridge. It remains “The City of Popes” despite their return to Rome 600 years ago, the imprint they left is simply too great to have faded.
Originally Avignon was a celto-ligurian settlement built on the confluence of the Rhone and Durance rivers. Today, the old town of Avignon is entirely surrounded by a wall and can be easily toured on foot – at one point there is three miles of solid wall!
The Palais des Papes is a truly huge complex – more like a castle than a residence for the head of the Catholic church. There is also the cathedral next door – Notre-Dame-des-Doms, from which there are views as far as Mont Ventoux on a clear day
The famous bridge of Avignon – the Pont St-Benezet – used to be 850 metres long, and consisted of 22 arches spanning the River Rhone. Now there are just 3 arches remaining which somehow makes it look all the more interesting.
