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Marseille, the oldest city of France
Marseille, the second largest city of France after Paris,
it is a major seaport and an important commercial and
industrial center.
Marseille has a charming situation on a broad bay which
is enclosed on the north by the Chaîne de l'Estaque
towards the Etang de Berre and rises on bare limestone hills.
It is dominated by the Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde,
the landmark of the city and the port.
Although the oldest city in France there are few remains of
ancient or medieval buildings.
Today, Marseille remains a capitol of southern Europe, 
cosmopolitan and exuberant, with its picturesque old port
and its folklore...
The Old Major has a Romanesque Provencal chevet from
the 12th century and built on top an impressive XIXth century
Romanesque-Byzantine building with an interior decoration
of marble and porphyry.
Saint-Jean Fortress, its foundation goes back to the XIIth
century as a command post of the Hospitaliers of Saint-John
of Jerusalem.
Saint-Nicolas Fortress, dominating the city from 1680 was
ordered by Louis XIV.
The Town Hall was built in 1653. Situated along the Old Port
was decorated by a medallion bearing the arms of France.
The Vieux Port, one heart of town, today is a port of
pleasance but also the arrival of fishing boats and the
people can come every morning to buy the freshest fishes
to cook the “Bouillabaisse”, the famous soup of the town!
The Corniche J.F Kennedy is the esplanade that links the
centre of the town to the quarter of the “cabanons”, small
fishermen’s huts from 1848...
It ends at the beaches, which were retaken from the sea
and today offer many walks and water sports activities.
At the end, you’ll see a copy of the famous “David” of
Michelangelo in Carrara marble given by the sculptor
Jules Cantini in 1903.
From the headland west of the Vieux Port, the Corniche
heads south past the city's most favoured residential
districts towards the beaches and promenade of the
Plage du Prado.
Notre Dame de la Garde, the Basilica was built on a
place of worship where only a chapel existed already
in 1218 but today we see this incredible basilica built
in the second half of the XIXth century in a
Romanesque-Byzantine style. This is the highest point
of the city and from there your eyes lie on certainly one
of the most beautiful landscapes in France.
You can admire the most incredible collection of
“ex-voto» inside the crypt and the basilica.
Saint Victor Abbey was founded in the Vth century on
the tomb of this saint, a Roman martyr. It was fortified
in the XIVth century.
Place Castellane, one the busiest square in town, has
an incredible fountain, entirely sculpted in Carrara marble
representing the three Provencal rivers and the
Mediterrranean Sea.
Palais Longchamps is a water reservoir of the city,
whose construction was decided at the same time
as the canal of Marseille in 1839. This splendid building
shelters the Fine Arts museum and the Natural History
Museum.
Carry le Rouet is a charming seaside resort set at the
foot of pine-covered hills.
Located 30 kms west of Marseille,
Carry is the heart
of la “Côte bleue”.
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