Marseille to Aix-en-Provence - Provence and the Cote d'Azur - page 314

Le Panier

HISTORIC QUARTER

Offline map Google map
Vieux Port) From the Vieux Port, hike north up to this fantastic history-woven quarter,
dubbed Marseille's Montmartre as much for its sloping streets as its artsy ambience. In
Greek Massilia it was the site of the agora (marketplace), hence its name, which means
'the basket'. During WWII the quarter was dynamited and afterwards rebuilt. Today it's a
mishmash of lanes hiding artisan shops, ateliers (workshops) and terraced houses strung
with drying washing.
Its centrepiece is Centre de la Vieille Charité ( Click here ) ; nearby Cathédrale de la
Major Offline map Google map stands guard between the old and 'new' ports with a 'stripy'
facade made of local Cassis stone and green Florentine marble. Creative art exhibitions