Postcard from Marseille

The beautiful town of Marseille was the last journey on which we went with my husband, so it took a bit of courage for me to look through all the photographs before posting some here. However, this town has so much to offer to any art-lover that it would have been a pity not to talk about it.

Legend has it that the city originated through an improbable love story. Protis, a navigator from Phocaea, having spotted the perfect place for a secure harbor around 600 BC, was invited by the local Ligurian tribe chief to a banquet held to choose a husband for his daughter Gyptis. The latter eventually choose the handsome foreign sailor by offering him a drink.

This charming account put aside, the area had been inhabited by humans for around 30000 years…

With such a wealth of history it is not surprising that Marseille offers such a vast array of cultural options. Ranging from museums to churches to street art, there is a lot to be seen and if you were to plan a trip to the town, I would recommend staying at least 3 days if you can.

We stayed only 2 nights, but our charming hotel (Hôtel La Résidence du Vieux Port) was beautifully situated on the waterside with a superb view over the old harbor, so here is what I was able to do:

– Visit the following museums, all within a reasonable walking distance:

Musée Cantini (rather small; located in a town house)

MuCEM (a huge, amazing modern building dedicated to the culture of the Mediterranean. Special tip: the great bookstore!)

Musée Regards de Provence (a beautiful museum close to the MuCEM, dedicated to local artists. Don’t miss the small bookstore here either – you’ll find some publications about little known early 20^th century realist painters, which I personally enjoyed a lot. If you fancy the Fauve’s style for instance, you should go there…)

– Visit the following places, a little bit further away (you could still walk to the two museums from were we stayed, but you might want to hop on a taxi or bus to get to the hill-top church, about a 20 minutes drive away):

La Vieille Charité (the beautiful former nursing home has been transformed to host the museum of Mediterranean archeology, the museum of African, Oceanic and Amerindian art as well as temporary exhibitions. I was lucky enough to view a wonderful exhibition on portraits there, which unfortunately ended in June this year.

Musée des Beaux Arts situated in the Palais Longchamp (freshly renovated, this elegant palace hosts a huge collection of classic masters).

Notre Dame de la Garde (this basilica is the town’s landmark and as such is very much beloved by Marseille’s inhabitants. Not only is the church in itself amazing, but it offers a spectacular view of the town and the nearby sea.)

Marseille of course also holds some more “down-to-earth” pleasures, such as good restaurants and a few shopping options. We tried several of the nice restaurants located all the long of the old harbor and our top favorite was Au Bout du Quai. Regarding the “what to bring home?”:

Savon de Marseille, of course, and if you are a painter, especially the really huge soap bars which are perfect for keeping your brushes in shape for a long time.

Herbs and olive oil or ready-made preparations such as Tapenade (a mixed paste of black olives, anchovies and capers), great on fresh baguette for an improvised aperitif with friends, maybe going along with some Pastis, are the typical culinary souvenirs to bring.

For the fashionistas among you, the typical hunt would be for the striped sailor sweatshirt (yes, exactly – like the one Picasso used to wear), to be found at Le Marseillais.

Last, but not least, if you go there in the beginning of the year, bring home a bunch of mimosa…