Marseille

Marseille

Marseille is a city and the capital of the Bouches-Rhône department in southern France, as well as the administrative and commercial capital of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, one of France's most rapidly growing regions. Marseille is one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean, located to the west of the French Riviera. It lies in a semicircle of limestone hills on the Gulf of Lion. Founded by Phoenician settlers around 600 BC, it is France's oldest city and one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe. The ancient Greeks called it Massalia and the Romans Massilia. Marseille has been a port of trade and commerce since ancient times. During the colonial period and especially in the 19th century, it experienced a major commercial boom and became a thriving industrial and merchant city. Today, the heart of the city is still the old port, where Marseille's soap production began some six centuries ago. The Basilica Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde overlooks the harbor. It is a Roman-Byzantine church and the symbol of the city. The openness of Marseille to the Mediterranean Sea has made it a cosmopolitan city from the very beginning, characterized by cultural and economic exchanges with the South of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. Marseille prides itself on being different from the rest of France and has its own unique culture. It is now the cultural and entertainment hub of the region, boasting a major Opera House, historical and maritime museums, five art galleries and a wide range of movie theatres, clubs, bars and restaurants.