Marseilles is the oldest city in France and, founded by Greek sailors in 600 B.C. is one of the most interesting places in the South of France to visit: an ancient, magical city that straddles old and modern worlds with ease. It is the perfect example of the traditional charm the South of France exerts.

Marseille boasts a dramatic skyline: crumbling stone buildings plummet down into the churning sea below, it’s a gritty vista that fits in with Marseille’s down to earth charm. The city is divided into quartiers: basically internal villages with a more provincial character than the main port. [Read more...]

Situated in Marseille, Notre-Dame la Garde is a basilica that sits atop the signal hill of La Garde. It is known by the locals as La Bonne Mere (the Good Mother) and is a major local landmark.

Building of the landmark took five years to complete and required 170,000 tons of material, including 23 shiploads of marble and porphyry from Italy.  It was originally built on the site of a 13^th century chapel and shared space on the hill with a 16th-century fortification.

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Luckily, France as a country has a laid-back attitude towards naturism as it is home to one of the world’s best naturism and naturist villages. Cap d’Agde is a self-contained, enclosed village where anybody who appreciates this type of lifestyle is welcome to enjoy their holiday as a naturist. [Read more...]

The Triumphal Arch stands at the entrance to the city of Orange, Provence. The arch commemorates the first conflict between the Romans and the Celts in France and is the oldest surviving arch of its design. It is thought to be a model that was later copied for arches built in Rome including Septimius Severus and the Arch of Constantine.

There is debate about when the arch was built, but research accepts the inscription as evidence favouring a date during the reign of Augustus. Historians believe it was built in 49BC by Julius Caesar and was later redecorated by Tiberius in 25 AD. There is an inscription dedicated to Tiberius in 27 AD which implies this fact is true. [Read more...]