Travel podcasts for city break fans. All the historical and cultural background you need to enjoy your visit.
Episodes
Wednesday Jan 01, 2025
Wednesday Jan 01, 2025
This is a pot-pourri episode, beginning with a look at Valletta’s art scene: the National Art Gallery, 3 artists linked to the island and the oratory where the 2 most famous paintings are hidden away. Next, some pointers on the city’s architecture: typical design features and the three main periods, all of which are represented by buildings to look out for in Valletta today. Lastly, a trip to the National Museum of Archaeology, where you can learn lots about the island’s very distant past and pick up some tips to inform visits to the rest of the island.
Reading Suggestion
Seven Temples on Malta by Betsy Ross-Edison
Links for this post
The National Art Museum
The Grand Master’s Palace
St John’s Cathedral
The National Museum of Archaeology
Wednesday Dec 18, 2024
Wednesday Dec 18, 2024
There are traces of World War II everywhere in Valletta. This episode begins with a little history from the period and explains why the island of Malta was awarded the prestigious George Cross. Then we look at 3 museums which all take a different approach, covering the military action here on ‘Fortress Malta’ and also explaining what the war did to the daily lives of its people. We end with a look at some of Valletta’s memorials to this turbulent period, which are all within a few minutes’ walk of each other at the Floriana end of the city.
Reading Suggestions
Fortress Island Malta by Peter Jacobs
Ladies of Lascaris by Paul McDonald
Churchill and Malta’s War by Douglas Austin
Links for this post
National War Museum
Malta at War Museum
Lascaris War Rooms
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!
Wednesday Dec 04, 2024
Wednesday Dec 04, 2024
This episode gives a little history on the Knights of Malta and explains where to 'find' them in Valletta today. In fact they’re everywhere, not least in the Maltese Cross you'll keep seeing, on information panels everywhere and in the beautiful buildings they left behind. In fact, they founded the city of Valletta and built it from scratch - Europe's very first planned city.
Reading Suggestions
The Knights of Malta by Joseph Attard
The Shield and the Sword by Ernie Bradford
Links for this Episode
The Malta Experience and the Holy Infirmary
The Grand Master’s Palace
The Armoury
St John’s Cathedral
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!
Wednesday Nov 20, 2024
Wednesday Nov 20, 2024
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!
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
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
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
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!
Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
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!
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
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!
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
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!
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
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!