Posts tagged: History of Marseille

A mixture of seawater, alkaline solution and fat
Documented use as far back as 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon
A carved “recipe” found on a stone slab from 2200 BC
The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used it
Cooked for 8 days in a cauldron, dried for 2 days in a mould
Latin word Sapo

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Recipes & Travel:
History of Marseille, Provence Travel, savon de Marseille, Traditional soap making in Provence, Travel in France

Marseille has managed to improve its image in the last few years, from seedy French port to European Cultural Capital in 2013. A financial infusion of several hundred million Euros did a lot for cleaning up the heart of the tourist area and expanding the city’s museums. The last major infrastructure project of this magnitude in Marseille was the post WWII reconstruction of the Vieux Port and le Panier district.

Marseille’s cultural transformation has been significant, including the recently renovated Palais Longchamp home of two galleries the Natural History Museum and the Musée des Beaux-Arts.
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Recipes & Travel:
History of Marseille, Palais Longchamp Marseille, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Salty cobalt-blue waters of the Mediterranean slip into the Port of Marseille under the careful watch of two stoic limestone sentries, Fort Saint-Jean and Fort Saint-Nicholas. In 1660, King Louis XIV ordered the construction of Fort Saint-Nicholas and the reinforcement of existing structures at Fort Saint-Jean. The justification for these monumental building projects was to improve the defense capabilities of the old port. The reality was likely more a show of military force to encourage calm among Marseille’s rebellious citizens than against the threat of external attack, the forts’ cannons faced the city.

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Recipes & Travel:
Fort St Jean Marseille, History of Marseille, Provence Travel, Travel in France

The maze of construction hoarding is gone. Vehicle congestion is a mere shadow of its former chaos. As Cultural Capital of the year, Marseille is ready to welcome the world this summer.
The exact value of total funds dispensed for urban infrastructure projects, new artistic exhibition space, and other enhancement work would require a forensic accountant. The results of this massive undertaking are changing Marseille’s scruffy image and vastly improving the previously underwhelming waterfront.
Here are some of the highlights:
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Recipes & Travel:
Cultural Capital of Europe, History of Marseille, MP2013, Provence Travel, Travel in France