North East Travel News

Issue 79

We are here for the day and our exploration starts at ‘le Vieux Port’ (the Old Port), you’d never guess this immaculate harbour was once a major industrial fishing port. This was the place seafarers landed their catch, and it functioned like this from its discovery until around the 1840s. Unfortunately after this, the Old Port went into decline when larger deeper berths were constructed to accommodate larger ships. But it wasn’t just the fishing industry that shaped the future of this city, its proximity to the major ports of North Africa, Italy and Spain meant that Marseille has always been a refuge for multiple waves of immigrants that have and continue to settle here. To the present day, Marseille like any large city has its challenges. Increasing demand for affordable housing and lack of large-scale employment means sadly unemployment for its burgeoning population is high. Vast sums continue to…