Why? France's second most populous city has a rich and ancient history dating back to its origins as the strategic Greek port of Massalia. It retains an otherness and aloofness from the rest of mainland France and despite enduring sieges, depravation, scandal, Nazi occupation and troubled race relations it remains romantic, mysterious and welcoming. With […]

If, like me, you have a penchant for a noir crime novel and are partial to the food and wine of Provence you should make a bee-line for Jean-Claude Izzo's peerless 'Marseilles Trilogy', published (in style and in English) by Europa Editions and excellently translated by Howard Curtis. The dark underbelly of Marseilles is exposed […]