Marseille

Marseille was originally founded circa 600 BC as the Greek colony of Massalia and populated by settlers from Phocaea (modern Foça, Turkey). It became the preeminent Greek polis in the Hellenized region of southern Gaul. Marseille continued to prosper as a Roman city, becoming an early center of Christianity during the Western Roman Empire. The city’s fortunes rebounded with the ambitious building projects of René of Anjou, Count of Provence, who strengthened the city’s fortifications during the mid-15th century. During the 16th century the city hosted a naval fleet with the combined forces of the Franco-Ottoman alliance, which threatened the ports and navies of Genoa and the Holy Roman Empire.
Marseille lost a significant portion of its population during the Great Plague of Marseille in 1720, but the population recovered by mid-century. In 1792 the city became a focal point of the French Revolution and was the birthplace of France’s national anthem, La Marseillaise. The Industrial Revolution and establishment of the French Empire during the 19th century allowed for further expansion of the city, although it was captured and heavily damaged by Nazi Germany during World War II.
It is located on the Mediterranean and its region is partially covered by hills. It is the most important commercial and tourist port of the nation.

• “The old port”, it is actually the symbol of the city, it has been restored on 2013 when Marseille was the named the capital of culture.
• “The Cathedral of Marseille that is neo byzantine.
• “The Garden of Vestiges”, where are located the ruins of the old port built by the Greeks.
• “La Canebière” is the historic high street in the old quarter of Marseille that was linking the old port to the north side of the city.
• “Le Panier” the oldest area of the city.
• “Notre Dame de la Garde”, located on the highest point of Marseille.
• “The Caste d’If”, it is a fortress but was also a prison, located on the island of If, It is famous for being one of the settings of Alexandre Dumas’ adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo.
• “Ville Radieuse”, the radiant city, it was an unrealised project designed by the French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier.

In Sintagma you can visit the tomb of the unknown soldier. Here you can see the guards in their uniform features, the Euzones, and if you are lucky you will witness the slow and complicated ceremony of changing the guard. You can also feed the pigeons here. Interestingly, there was a monument
to the unknown soldier also in ancient Athens. The work, Megaron Mousikis, offers wonderful shows, but even more beautiful is the Theater of Herod Atticus, just below the Acropolis. Athens is one of the main tourist
destinations in Greece, and thousands of visitors come here every year for at least a couple of days before embarking on the journey to the islands or other tourist resorts in the country.