Main Cities	Avignon	Aix-en-Provence
Provence	Arles	Provence Bulletin Board

A Greek settlement founded in the 7th century BC, then called Massilia, Marseille was seized by the Romans in 49 BC.
It became "the Gateway to the West" for most oriental trade.

France's largest port has close links with the Middle East and North Africa.
It is exotic, cosmopolitan and lively, with a reputation for corruption and drug trafficking.
The Vieux Port was the setting for Marcel Pagnol's comic trilogy, Marius, Fanny and César, satirizing the "Marseillais Character".
In Marseille, narrow stepped streets, quiet squares and fine 18th-century façades contrast with the bastle of La Canebière and la Cité Radieuse, Le Corbusier's postwar radical housing complex.
A striking new landmark is l'Hôtel du Département, the local governement headquarters, a bright blue structure on stilts, designed by the British architect Will Alsop.

The Old Harbour now only handles small boats, but its daily fish market is renowned.
Gourmets agree that the bouillabaisse is very authentic here.
Several museums in the old harbour area include the Musée des Docks Romains. The wreck of a Roman ship found in 1974 is on show at the Musée d'histoire de Marseille and there are paintings of old Marseille at the Musée du Vieux Marseille.