City Breaks

Valletta Episode 02 Three Walks around Valletta

Valletta is a very walkable city and this episode offers three walking routes for exploring it.  They could be done in a day if you want to see all the main sights quickly, or you could spread them out over a few days, linger a little, go into some of the places we pass by and build up an in-depth knowledge of Malta's capital city.  Take a street map with you and you should be able to follow the routes easily. 

Reading Suggestions 
The History of Malta by Nuria Rehn
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
A Death in Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia

Links for this post
Our Lady of Victories Church  
The Grand Master’s Palace  
The Armoury   
St John’s Co-Cathedral   
Fort St Elmo National War Museum   

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

Valletta Episode 01 Introduction

Merħba il-Valletta: welcome to Valletta, the capital of Malta.  Valletta is a World Heritage Site, small in scale, easy to explore and known for its stunning coastal views and gorgeous architecture.  Here you can 'meet' such varied characters from history as St Paul, Caravaggio and the Knights of St John and learn some of the island's most inspiring stories: how Malta triumphed during the Great Siege of 1565 and why the island was awarded the George Cross during World War II.    

This is the introduction to our Valletta series and the remaining 7 episodes will bring you all the background history and culture you need to really understand the city.  In short, here is all the research you’d do yourself if only you had the time!  See below for reading ideas and useful links.

Two useful websites for tourists
Visit Malta   
Malta Uncovered   

3 Guide Books
Pocket Rough Guide to Malta and Gozo  
Lonely Planet Malta and Gozo
Eyewitness Top 10 Malta and Gozo

4 History Books
The History of Malta by Nuria Rehn
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
A Death in Malta by Paul Caruana Galizia

Maltese Cooking
Taste of Malta by Anton B Dougall

2 Novels set in Malta
The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monserrat
Secrets of Malta by Cecily Blench

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Valletta series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated

Marseille Episode 10 A Marseille Anthology

Our Marseille Anthology includes some travel writing, plus a range of fiction pieces set in the city.  Extracts include Simone de Beauvoir hiking in the surrounding countryside and Jean-Claude Izzo's description of the Italian immigrant community in Le Panier in the 1930s.  The Count of Monte Cristo's daring escape from the Château d'If is here, as are a meal of boullabaisse in a waterside restaurant and a visit to the underwater caves where prehistoric man left artwork behind.  There are even two passages which help explain why Marseille has sometimes been called 'the wicked city'.  

Reading Suggestions
Wicked City by Nicholas Hewitt
Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo
Chourmo by Jean-Claude Izzo
Solea by Jean-Claude Izzo
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
First Fingerprint, by Xavier-Marie Bonnot
The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayl

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

 

 

 

 

Marseille Episode 09 In the Footsteps of Marcel Pagnol

The author and film-maker Marcel Pagnol is inextricably linked with Marseille – where he lived, set some of his early works and is buried – and with the Provencal countryside around the city.  The area's garrigue landscape provides the backdrop to his popular autobiographical works, La Gloire de Mon Père (My Father's Glory) and Le Château de Ma Mère (My Mother's Castle) and is also the setting for his gripping novels, Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources.  This episode gives a little biographical information, an idea of where to ‘find’ him in the area today and some appetite-whetting snippets of his work.

Reading Suggestions

Autobiographical works
My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle (double volume)

3 Plays set in Marseille (in French)
Marius
Fanny
César

 

Two novels set in Provence
Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources (double volume)

 

Links for this post
Information on walks in Marcel Pagnol territory     
Marcel Pagnol’s Birthplace   
Aubagne Tourist Office   
Le Petit Monde de Marcel Pagnol   
Village des Santons in Marseille     
Guide to La Treille   
Château de la Buzine   

 
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

 

Marseille Episode 08 Food and Shopping

This post introduces you to two great pleasures in this Provencal city: Marseille food and Marseille shopping, beginning with the signature dishes and key ingredients of the city's cuisine, plus a few ideas on where to look for restaurants. Then, we outline key items to buy as souvenirs of Marseille, followed by a rundown of the city's main shopping areas and what you can expect to find in each one.  

Reading Suggestions
Garlic, Mint and Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo
The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle

 

Links for this post

More Information 
Foodie Guide to Marseille    
Shopping in the Le Panier district   
Eating out in the Le Panier district 
Information on Cours Julien   
Santons of Provence   

Shops and places to visit
Bar de la Marine 
Musee du Savon de Marseille de la Licorne   
La Cure Gourmande  
Olympique de Marseille Souvenir Shop 
Torrefaction Noailles  
Maison de la Boule 
Maison Yellow  
Santons Village in Aubagne  

3 Santons shops in Marseille 
Escoffier  
Arterra  
Marcel Carbonel  

 

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

Marseille Episode 07 Boat Trips, Beaches and the Chateau d'If

Marseille boat trips – those words belong together.  But beaches and the Château d’If are also great ideas for trips out from Marseille and so this episode covers all three. Then there are suggestions for other little excursions, to l’Estaque and Cassis, which both mix boating and arty vibes, plus a trip on a coastal train with  views a-plenty and ideas for stopping off to explore. To finish, there's a little flavour of the Count of Monte Cristo’s daring – and fictional! – escape from the Château d’If.  

Reading Suggestion
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

 

Links
The Château d’If 
The Calanques   
How to get to the Calanques   
Marseille’s Beaches   
The Underwater Museum of Marseille  
L’Estaque   
Cassis   
Cassis Museum of Art and Folk Traditions 
More on visiting La Côte Bleu  

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

 

 

Marseille Episode 06 Art in Marseille

This episode covers two main Marseille art galleries, the Musée des Beaux Arts and Regards de Provence, and focuses particularly on work on local themes - Marseille itself, and the provençal hinterland.  Then there are pointers to 4 more galleries in the city, featuring ethnic, modern and decorative arts, plus a little coverage of some of the most famous artists associated with Marseille: Pierre Puget, César Baldaccinni and Paul Cézanne.  Lastly, a reminder that in in this city, art often means street art!

Links for this post

Musée des Beaux Arts   
Regards de Provence     
Vieille Charité   
Musée Cantini   
Museum of Modern Art   
Museum of Decorative Arts  

 

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

 

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

 

Marseille Episode 05 La Joliette, the Mucem and the Cosquer Museum

This post takes you around La Joliette, the new port area in Marseille and looks at what there is to do there. That includes the city’s two newest must-see museums – one gives you a tour of Mediterranean culture, the other takes you on a virtual exploration of the incredible caves discovered nearby, where the artwork dates back 30,000 years. We also find time for plenty of shopping, eating and culture in both historic and ultra-modern settings, all with a magnificent sea-view backdrop.

Reading Suggestions
Marseille et le Mucem (French only)
Cosquer Méditerrannée (French only)

Links for this post
Guide to La Joliette   
The Mucem 
The Cosquer Museum   
Guide to Les Terrasses du Port   
Guide to Les Docks   

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

 

 

 

Marseille Episode 04 The Le Panier District

This post focuses on the Le Panier district of Marseille, the oldest and most atmospheric part of the city: think hills, narrow roads, colourful houses, flowers, little restaurants in pretty squares, artisan shops and plenty of street art.  Plus two of the city’s big sights, La Charité, the former poorhouse, now a museum centre and the stunning 'Major' Cathedral.  As the author Jean -Claude Izzo wrote. ‘To linger in Le Panier is to feel the old heart of Marseille throbbing’.  

Reading Suggestions

Garlic, Mint and Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo
The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle

Links for this post

Self guided walk around Le Panier 
La Vieille Charité   
La Major Cathedral  
Discover Street Art in Marseille  
Blogpost: Street Art and Charm in Le Panier   

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!   

 

 

Marseille Episode 03 The Old Port, the Canebiere and Notre Dame de la Garde

This episode centres on Marseille’s most popular sights, the Old Port, the hilltop church of Notre Dame de la Garde, and the Canebière, the wide avenue leading back from the port into the heart of the city. After a few snippets of history, we tour such sights as the fish market, the iconic canopy built to mark Marseille's year as a City of European Culture in 2013, an ancient tower and a surprising link to Odessa in Ukraine.  We might take the little ferry across the harbour, we'll certainly walk - or maybe take the 'petit train' - up the hill to Notre Dame de la Garde, where a huge golden statue of Mary the Virgin watches protectively over the city.   

Reading Suggestions

The Wicked City by Nicholas Hewitt
Marseille Port to Port by William Kornblum
Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo

Links for this post

The Saint Jean Fort
Deportation Memorial
The Petit Train  
Notre Dame de la Garde  
Boat trips from the Old Port  

City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk

 

We love to receive your comments and suggestions! 
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode.  That would be very much appreciated!