Overview: Provence
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| Provence: an overview |
| Attractions Around Marseille |
| Attractions beyond Marseille |
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For visitors who are ancient history enthusiasts, there is a wealth of evocative ruins to explore stemming from the days when Julius Caesar claimed to explore the region. Superb examples of Roman theatres, baths, amphitheaters, mosaics, and villas still stand in a remarkable state of preservation in such cities as Arles, Fréjus, Orange, and Vaison-la-Romaine. Today some of these theatres and amphitheaters are still in use as venues for cultural festivals, bullfights, and concerts.
Art lovers can gaze at the sunflower fields that inspired Vincent Van Gogh, who painted in tortured frenzy while living in Arles, or explore the picturesque harbour of St-Tropez which Pointillist Paul Signac immortalised on canvas. The life and times of Paul Cézanne are recounted in Aix-en-Provence, where the artist was born and did much of his work.
Perhaps the greatest pleasure of visiting Provence lies simply in exploring its abundance of enchanting villages that dot the hillsides through the region. Among the many are Roussillon, built almost entirely of red sandstone; l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, known for its canals and antique shops; and Ménerbes, the setting for author Peter Mayle's best-selling book A Year in Provence. Many of the towns and villages feature wonderful outdoor markets, the most famous of which is the Friday market in Carpentras. Shoppers will find tables laden with such treats as marmalades, fresh herbs, olives, nougat, truffles, and fruits and vegetables of all kinds.
With its own distinctive Mediterranean-inspired cuisine that emphasises tomatoes, peppers, and olive oil rather than butter or cream. Local dishes to try include daube (a savory beef stew), roast lamb, pistou (a basil-infused vegetable soup), tapénade (an olive and anchovy spread), and bouillabaise (the classic fish soup from Marseille served with croutons and a garlicky sauce called rouille). Among the many fine red wines of the area are Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. The regional aperitif is pastis, an anise-flavoured liqueur diluted with water.
The 2,600-year-old capital of Provence is Marseille, France's most important seaport and the largest one in Europe, after Rotterdam. Long a magnet for immigrants, the city has a diverse ethnic population from around the Mediterranean basin, West Africa, and Indochina. The city boasts a rich assortment of museums, ethnic restaurants, and vibrant nightlife. The calanques are deep narrow inlets cut into the limestone cliffs along the coast between Marseille and the tiny charming port of Cassis, about 20 miles south-east.
Marseille's most intriguing area is the Vieux Port, situated at the lower part of the main street called La Canebière, where ships have docked since the time of Greek mariners around 600 B.C. Locally born author Marcel Pagnol in his classic trilogy of books, Marius, Fanny, and César, immortalised the lively waterfront with its bars, cafés, and open-air fish markets. Filled with fishing craft and pleasure boats, the Vieux Port is flanked on each side by two imposing fortresses built by Louis XIV, Fort St-Nicolas and Fort St-Jean.
To the south of the Vieux Port is Place Thiars, a square with late-night restaurants and cafés. North of the harbour is Le Panier, a former red-light district which is now a picturesque enclave of narrow streets and old houses. Its centre piece is the Centre de la Vieille Charité, which began as an elegant poorhouse and now houses two excellent museums.
Attractions Around Marseille
- Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde
Crowning a hilltop south of the old port, the basilica is a wonder of 19th century neo-Byzantine design with its massive dome, bell tower, and embellishments of coloured marble, mosaics, and murals. The basilica is at the highest point in the city and provides panoramic views. - Centre de la Vieille Charité
A magnificent 18th century stone building, which has been used as a poorhouse and soldiers' rest home, now serves as the palatial setting for two museums. The Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne features a notable collection of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artifacts, while the Musée d'Arts Africain, Océanien, et Amérindien has a fascinating collection of ritual artifacts. - Chateau d'If
This fortress prison on an offshore island was made famous by the author Alexandre Dumas, who used it as the setting for his classical book The Count of Monte Cristo. In real life, the prison dungeons incarcerated hundreds of political prisoners over the centuries. Regularly scheduled ferries leave the Vieux Port for guided tours. - Musée Cantini
Devoted to 20th century art, the museum includes works by Cubist artists and Paul Signac's shimmering painting View of the Port of Marseille. - Musée d'Art Contemporain
This large new museum features a collection of artworks produced during the mid-20th century onwards. - Musée de la Mode
With a collection of more than 2,000 clothing and accessory items, the museum explores trends in French fashion over the past three decades. - Musée des Docks Romains
This museum on the site of an ancient Roman dockside warehouse features exhibits on the city's 2,600 year old history as a mercantile port. - Musée d'Histoire de Marseille
The city's long history as an important port is traced at this museum, which includes the remains of a merchant vessel dating from the 3rd century AD., Roman mosaics, and other items. - Musée du Vieux Marseille - The museum, housed in an elegant Louis XIV mansion, traces the history of the city during the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Palais Longchamp - Built during the 1860s to disguise a water tower, the two wings of the colonnaded palace house two museums. The Musée des Beaux-Arts features paintings from the 15th to 19th century, while the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle is devoted to flora and fauna of the region.
Attractions beyond Marseille
Aix-en-Provence
The nearly 100 fountains that grace the shaded streets and squares of Aix-en-Provence, or Aix to locals, 20 miles north of Marseille, are a bubbling reminder that the city has been known for its thermal waters since Roman times. The city's wide central boulevard, Cours Mirabeau, is flanked by two superb fountains - at the west by the large cast-iron Fontaine de la Rotonde and at the east by the Fontaine du Roi René, which depicts the 15th century monarch holding a bunch of muscat grapes. Also along the boulevard is the Fontaine d'Eau Thermal, which spouts heated water from the natural springs. Along with its fountain, the tree-lined boulevard is known for its pleasant cafés, among them Les Deux Garçons, as it was founded by two waiters in 1792.
A university city that is, in many ways, the cultural and historical capital of Provence, Aix is filled with fine museums and a wealth of ochre-coloured 17th and 18th century hotels particuleurs lining such squares as Place des Quatre Dauphins and Place d'Albertas. The birthplace of Paul Cézanne, the pioneering Impressionist artist, Aix honours its native son with a trail of bronze markers that depict places where he lived, relaxed, and worked. At the Musée Granet, several of Cézanne's paintings are on display, along with those by artists such as Rubens and Rembrandt. More works by the artists are on view at the Petit Musée Cézanne, while the Atelier Paul Cézanne preserves his last work space.
Other noteworthy museums include the Musée des Tapisseries housed in the Palais de l'Ancien Archeveché with a collection of Beauvais tapestries, and the Musée Paul Arbaud, which displays books, manuscripts, and a collection of Provençal earthenware. The courtyard of the Palais de l'Ancien Archevehce is transformed into a theatre each summer for opera performances during the Festival d'Art Lyrique. Adjacent to it is Cathédrale St-Sauveur, representing a mosaic of architectural styles that include a 5th-century baptistery, an 18th-century cupola supported by Roman columns, a Romanesque doorway, and an elaborate Gothic façade. Among its interior treasures is a 17th-century triptych by Nicolas Froment, which combines scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
Arles
The former Roman capital of Provence 55 miles northwest of Marseille, Arles is an attractive city on the banks of the Rhone River offering reminders of its ancient past and the life of its most famous resident Vincent Van Gogh. The Roman and Romanesque monuments in Arles are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Romans built Les Arènes, a 12,000-seat venue for gladiator contests, which is now primarily a stadium for bullfights held between Easter and the end of September. Visitors can also tour the Théatre Antique, a ruined Roman theater used for open-air film, dance, and music festivals during the summer. Other Roman sites include Thermes de Constantin, riverside baths, and the Cryptoporticus du Forum, vast underground storerooms. The Musée de l'Arles Antique offers a rich collection of Roman artifacts along with early Christian items.
Van Gogh, who came to Arles in 1888 and produced some 200 canvases within a year, is commemorated at the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh, which exhibits paintings by artists whom he inspired. Van Gogh reproductions, along with letters written to his brother Theo, are on view at a gallery called La Rose des Vents. A former hospital and gardens where the artist recovered after cutting off his ear, Espace Van Gogh is often the venue for changing art exhibitions.
Visitors with an interest in traditional Provençal life will not want to miss the Musée Arlaten, a museum founded by the Nobel Prize winning poet Frédéric Mistral. Housed in a 16th-century town house, the museum is filled with furniture, crafts, costumes, and life-size dioramas. The Musée Réattu is noted for its fine collection of photographic works, paintings by 18th- and 19th-century Provençal artists, and drawings by Picasso. Arles also boasts one of the finest Romanesque churches in Provence, Cathédrale St-Trophine, which features an elaborately carved scene of the Last Judgement on its portal.
Avignon
Encircled by 3 miles of ramparts and crenellated towers, Avignon, 66 miles northwest of Marseille, offers an enchanting combination of medieval alleyways, old stone houses, and chic shopping streets. A major religious centre during the Middle Ages, Avignon was the seat of power for seven popes who lived at the Palais des Papes within the walled city. The magnificent courtyard of this 14th-century palace is a major venue for theatrical performances during the world-famous Festival d'Avignon held every year from early July to early August. Hundreds of actors, dancers, musicians, and other artists stage performances all over town during the event.
Other notable sites include Musée du Petit Palais, a museum located in a former bishop's palace with an outstanding collection of Italian religious paintings from the 13th to the 16th century. The Musée Calvert offers archaeological items from prehistory to Roman times and a collection of paintings from the 16th to the 20th century, including works by Corot, Toulouse-Lautrec, Utrillo and Seurat.
Perhaps the city's most famous landmark is the Pont d-Bénezet, the remains of the 13th-century bridge that inspired the French nursery song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon". Four of the original 22 spans remain standing in the waters of the Rhone River.
The Camargue
The marshy delta at the western end of Provence where the Rhone River meets the Mediterranean Sea is call the Camargue. This vast area of wetlands and pastures is home to more than 400 bird species, including flocks of pink flamingos that nest during the summer near the Etang de Vaccarès and Etang du Fangassier. The area is also home to herds of cream-coloured horses and black bulls that are raised for the bullfighting events popular in the region. Much of the delta is protected land encompassed by the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, which has its main information centre at Pont de Gau just north of the seaside village of Stes-Marie-de-la-Mer.
Fréjus
Midway between Cannes and Saint-Tropez and 2 miles from Saint-Raphael, Fréjus, known for its Roman ruins, was colonised by Julius Caesar in 49 B.C. Among its ancient Roman monuments are a 1st-century Roman Amphitheatre, the remains of a theatre, and the Porte d'Orée, an arcade that was once part of the thermal baths. Housed in a beautiful 13th-century cloister built with columns from a Roman temple is the Musée Archéologigue, which features a 3rd-century mosaic depicting a leopard and marble statue of Hermes.
Gorges du Verdon
Carved out of a limestone plateau midway between Avignon and Nice is the largest canyon in Europe, the Gorges du Verdon. Motorists can enjoy views of the spectacular gorge on such roadways as the Corniche Sublime, which follows the southern rim and overlook points such as the Pont de l'Artuby, the highest bridge in Europe. The gorge also offers opportunities for hiking and white-water rafting. A tourist information centre for Gorges de Verdon activities is located in the nearby town of Castellane.
Orange
Among the outstanding Roman ruins in the small town of Orange, 16 miles north of Avignon, is the Théàtre Antique, which was built during the reign of Augustus Caesar in the 1st century and still has its stage wall intact. Equally remarkable is the Arc de Triomphe, a Roman triumphal arch with a magnificent frieze commemorating Julius Caesar's victory over the Gauls in 49 B.C. A delightful way to tour the town is to take one of the 54-seat tourist trams that depart frmo the theatre and go up to the Colline St-Eutrope for views of the sights below.
Roussillon
Perced high above the Fées Valley, the charming village of Roussillon, about 30 miles east of Avignon, is known for its distinctive ochre earth used for producing pottery glazes. The entire town is built of the reddish local stone, making it a dazzling sight among the deep green conifers and whitish hills. Visitors can enjoy the scene by walking the Sentier des Ocres, which winds through a lovely landscape around the town.
Saint-Tropez
A quaint seaside fishing village turned resort, about 50 miles southwest of Cannes that became a favoured haunt of Brigitte Bardot and jet-setters of the 1960s, Saint-Tropez still retains some of the charm that drew artists such as Pointillist Paul Signac many years earlier. Signac's work, along with that of Matisse, Dufy, Bonnard, and Derain, can be enjoyed at the Musée de l'Annonciade, a museuum devoted to modern art. The town's maritime history, including the Allied landings that took place here in 1944, is the subject of the Musée Naval. Just southeast of town are several superb beaches such as Place de Tahiti and Plage de Pampelonne.
Vaison-la-Romaine
This town, about 30 miles northeast of Avignon and known during Roman times as Vasio Vocontiorum, has large areas of Roman ruins comparable to Pompeii in the vivid illustration they give of ancient daily life. At a site called Fouilles de Puymin, visitors can see fresco-decorated villas, mosaics, and the ruins of a 1st-century theatre designed to seat 6,000 people. Artifacts from the site are displayed at the Musée Archéologique and include the silver bust of prominent citizens and status of the Emperor Hadrian and his wife, Sabina. More ancient houses and mosaics can be explored at another site, Fouilles de la Villasse.
