FOLLOWING several social meetings – including a quiz and an evening of enacting French playlets, both organised by Jean Lunnon, and our annual lunch at the Wessex Restaurant in the college where we had an excellent meal cooked and served by students – we had a talk from Cédric Cabanne of the Alliance Française entitled Marseille, Ville de Culture 2013.

Although members had enjoyed holidays in the south of France in general, we realised that our experience of Marseille itself was generally limited to the occasional visit to places on the tourist list, so it was very interesting to be reminded of the historical background of the city.

M. Cabanne took us back to prehistory with pictures of the Palaeolithic cave paintings in the underwater Cosquer cavern near the calanque of Morgiou, which date from as far back as 27,000 BC.

As the most important port on the Mediterranean coast and a link from inland Gaul to the Roman markets, Marseille was subject to much trading of slaves and wine, and to conflicts with other powers of classical antiquity who brought luxuries to the area.

In the 18th century the port became much fortified, and the maritime possibilities increased with the opening of the Suez Canal. Marseille held colonial exhibitions in 1906 and 1922 bringing in many visitors, but in the Second World War devastating bombing destroyed much of the city. East and West Germany and Italy made massive reparation payments which allowed the extensive rebuilding of the area and over a million immigrants flooded in.

Long plagued by a reputation for gang warfare and lawlessness, and for poverty, Marseilles now has undergone a major facelift with a remodelling of the Old Port, splendid new buildings, museums and gardens, and a programme of major events to rebrand it as the 2013 Capital of Culture.