Founded by the Greeks around 600 BC, Marseille will linger in your mind long after your footsteps are but a silent echo of where you have been in the world. Flush with an ancient history of Greek-speaking Phocaeans some 2,600 years ago, it has been a central hub for trade and immigration for eons.
Marseille is the oldest French city perched on the Mediterranean coast, fringed by the incredible limestone cliffs and picturesque rocky inlets of the Calanques National Park, where turquoise water hides underwater gardens swarming with marine life before it laps the shores of secluded sandy and pebbled beaches. The old port area is dominated by a mammoth Ferris wheel towering over fish mongers hawking their glistening fresh morning catch in loud voices of a unique French dialect famous for its slang and unusual accent known as Marseillese. The salty breeze floats over masses of boats, gently swaying with the coming and going of the tide while seagulls squawk in the air. Flanking the harbor's entrance there are grand forts, and standing guard on its own island is the famous fortress known as the Count of Monte Cristo, edged by massive stone towers built in 1531.
Marseille bursts with life and has been the backdrop in many Hollywood movies: The French Connection, Monte Cristo, Taxi, and Love Actually, to name a few. Dynamic street art clings to buildings in colorful disarray throughout the city, especially in the neighborhood of Cours Julien, where numerous art galleries and cultural venues are crammed together with buzzing bistros. The wide street of La Canebière, running from the Old Port to the Capucin neighborhood, is the main walking street to explore for its historical value or if you wish to thrash a credit card in a luxury goods shop. The curiosity of France's oldest hardware store is worth poking your nose into, Maison Empereur.
The narrow and colorful street, La Rue de Panier, is the arty enclave in the oldest district of Le Panier, initially settled by the ancient Greeks. Hanging flower baskets and green shutters adorn corner cafes, where quaint tables hug the sidewalk. Afternoons buzz with locals chattering as they sip pastis. This famous boozy anise-flavored drink is an aperitif that was marketed by Paul Ricard, the son of a wine merchant, in 1932. The recipe is a tightly held secret based on licorice, star anise, and herbs.
The pedestrian-only Rue Saint-Ferréol is where the young gather amidst the trendy, affordable shops on a Saturday afternoon. Rap and hip-hop music blares out from venues sitting alongside quirky restaurants playing traditional Provencal folk music or bars overflowing with rowdy soccer and rugby fans watching their home team on massive televisions. For an overall panoramic view of the city, climb up winding streets to the iconic Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica, where the Virgin Mary statue is believed to keep the city safe.
Eclectic morning markets pop up around the city, with the best to explore located in the old gritty area of Noailles; Marché des Capucins, where your nose will twitch with the strong smell of North African spices. It's also the area for coffee and chocolate lovers—head into the century-old Torrefaction Noailles to be seduced by decadent pralines and can't-get-enough-of nougat. Your taste buds will go into overdrive when you venture into the Marché de la Plaine in Place Jean Jaurès in the 5th arrondissement, where it's a foodie adventure and a scavenger's paradise for everything and anything. The Wednesday market of Cours Julien Farmer’s Market will have you filling a basket with fresh goat milk ricotta and organic produce.
Apart from the traditional gourmand domains blending the tastes of the Mediterranean with typical French cuisine and the influences of Italy, Spain, and North Africa, the food scene is flourishing with fresh-faced young chefs running from the high cost of rental premises in Paris to the quirky laneways of Marseille that saw a resurgence of Parisians invading for its sunny coastline over the Covid era. Today, it's a multi-cultural hodge-podge, especially in the Noailles enclave nicknamed the 'belly of Marseille' due to its abundance of all things to eat representing diverse cultures. An Algerian couple dish up the city's only certified Vera Pizza Napoletana (halal), a thriving food truck is parked beside the Basilica Notre Dame de la Garde, and cheese mongers thrive selling artisan products direct from the farm to the public.
Traditional dishes can still be found—mouth-watering crisp pizzas from 80-year-old pizzerias to the national dish of bouillabaisse—once a humble fishermen's meal made from leftover fish in a stew. Chickpea fritters 'panisse’ are munched on while indulging in pastis, and ‘navettes,' a sweet bread infused with orange blossom, doesn't disappoint. Seafood is everywhere around the harbor, where garlic and parsley aromas follow your footsteps, whether it's sauteed squid or an unfussy plate of grilled fish.
A combination of the grand tainted with the grit of a harbor town, Marseille is becoming the new foodie town of France, overshadowing Paris for its innovation and diversity.
Gail Palethorpe, a self proclaimed Australian gypsy, is a freelance writer, photographer and eternal traveller. Check out her website Gail Palethorpe Photography and her Shutterstock profile.
