Marseille: Chic of the new
Marseille has spruced itself up to mark its status as European Cultural Capital
Arriving in Marseille, southern France, from the air is an awe-inspiring experience. As you sweep over scenic mountains on one side and crystal blue sea on the other, you can understand why the Phoenicians chose to stay in 600BC.
Once I land, the exhilaration continues: I take a motorbike taxi into town. "It's much quicker and convenient," says my chauffeur-to-be, Didier. I am not convinced but am won over by his warm smile and massive Honda Goldwing 1800, which looks unbreakable.
It turns out to be a surprisingly comfortable ride. As we speed along the motorway, I marvel at the bright blue sky and mountainous landscape in the distance. Didier tells me (via our nifty in-built helmet microphones) that temperatures in Marseille are mild for most of the year and sunny and hot for months. This is the sun-kissed Mediterranean at its most alluring.
Marseille may be France's oldest and second-largest city, a thriving centre for music and theatre (it has the highest number of theatres per capita in the country) and one of the world's great multicultural cities, but in recent years it has been in the press much more often for its gang- and drug-related crimes and financial corruption.
Now, a year of exhibitions and events to mark the city's status as European Cultural Capital in 2013, and a slew of fascinating museum openings and major construction and infrastructure projects being completed, means the city's shady reputation looks poised to change. From a waterfront facelift to the pedestrianisation (by British architect Norman Foster) of parts of the old port, from the refurbishment of old industrial buildings to the construction of dazzling new ones, Marseille has spruced itself up without losing its gritty port charm.
One of the most exciting upcoming projects is the new MuCEM (Museum of Civilisations from Europe and the Mediterranean), located at the end of a disused pier in the seafront area known as J4. Designed by French architect Rudy Ricciotti, it is a low-slung building encased in panels of delicate concrete lattice work and connected to a 17th-century fort by a remarkable 135-metre long, slim concrete footbridge. The fort, which has been renovated and will also open to the public for the first time, is connected by another footbridge to the city. The MuCEM opens in April 2013 with an exhibition on the Mediterranean dream between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Next door to the MuCEM is the dramatic symmetrical C-shaped Villa Méditerranée, designed by Stefano Boeri. As of April it will host exhibitions, concerts and lectures about Mediterranean culture and will feature an underwater space. A bit further up is the FRAC (Regional Contemporary Art Fund) museum for contemporary art, designed by Japanese "archistar" Kengo Kuma and opening next month. Another new waterfront venue, J1, is the last of four hangars remaining on the city's docks, with head-on views of the port. It's an international ferry terminal at quay level and a striking 8,000-square-metre arts centre replete with cafe, shop and performance spaces upstairs.