Marseille kicks off Capital of Culture Year

January has been an exciting month in Provence, as Marseille and the region kicked off a year of festivities, with 400 cultural and artistic events (contemporary dance, music, plastic arts, theatre, exhibitions, street art, litterature, digital art, cinema, etc.). The official opening festivities which took place accross the region unveiled many astounding exhibits, such as this one (by Yayoi Kusama), in Aix en Provence: the huge sycamore trees along Cours Mirabeau (Aix' Champs Elysees) have been wrapped in a red and white polka-dotty fabric, giving this beautiful perspective that king Rene of Anjou seems to enjoy from his pedestal.

A glimpse of Marseille

From our French location in Aix en Provence, near Marseille, we came accross this video, which will give you an insight of this colorful and typical French Mediterranean city. Located on the southeast coast of France, Marseille is France's largest city on the Mediterranean coast and the second largest city after Paris. It is the capital of the Provence region, and has been designated as European Capital of Culture in 2013.

Best wishes from Marseille video / CLICK HERE

 

The "Marseillais" -the Marseille inhabitants- are know to be particularly proud of their city, and have developed over the years many specificities, like their language and accent, which are sometimes hard to understand, even for a French native!

Marseille is famous for its traditional soap, which has been made from vegetable oil for about 600 years!

It is also know for its gastronomy, like Fougasse, typical Provençal bread made with olive oil, Tapenade, an olive spread made from capers, chopped olives and olive oil, or Navette, a delicious hard biscuit in the shape of a boat, flavoured with orange blossom.

The traditional drink in the Marseille region is Pastis, a refreshing alcoholic beverage made with anise and spices. And if you want to serve Pastis the French way, we have sourced for you this vintage Pitcher and a wonderful set of Pastis glasses!

 Tchin Tchin! / Cheers!