13.29 - Rivalry in Provence: is it a love-hate thing?

Aix-en-Provence & nearby Marseille are two wildly different cities in the heart of Provence. It’s a love-hate relationship, and begs the question: why this rivalry exists? Where did it all start?

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1. France: Rivalry in Provence - is it a love-hate thing?
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1. Rivalry in Provence: is it a love-hate thing?

The rivals are city siblings, they’re part of the same metropolitan district, and residents of both, love to hate each other’s towns with a passion - but why is that?

Aix and Marseille in the south of France are like chalk and cheese.

The town of Aix en Provence and the city of Marseille are neighbours and part of the same metropolitan area – but they couldn’t be more different. Aix, or more properly, Aix-en-Provence, is a world away from diverse, multi-cultural Marseille and residents of both often hate each other’s towns with a passion. It’s a love-hate thing.

It’s said to be all about the Culture…

Aix prides itself on being the birthplace and hometown of the painter Cézanne, one of France’s most beloved painters. Its museums showcase his work as well as being the home to new ‘high culture’ exhibitions – its annual opera festival in July, as well as numerous literary and street music festivals, are the pride of the town. The most popular brasserie in town for many years was Les Deux Garçons where Cézanne and Emile Zola used to hang out. Unfortunately in 2019, this special spot burned down, but there are many other wonderful spots.

Let’s compare

• Marseille is much more down to earth.

• Its graffiti (often frowned upon in Aix) offers a stunning look at modern local life through the streets of the trendy neighbourhood Cours Julien. Graffiti isn’t washed off the walls in Marseille as soon as it arrives, as it is in Aix.

• You’re also much more likely to find a wider range of cultural activities in Marseille, like the MUCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations).

Aix-En-Provence (left) Marseilles (right)

Aix is pristine but Marseille is more lively

Aix and Marseille have some beautiful architectural wonders.

Aix has the Cours Mirabeau and its fountains – Aix is often called “the city of 1000 fountains”. Whilst it doesn’t technically have 1000 of them, it has a lot. Marseille has its own wonders – the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde and the Longchamp Palais.

Another difference: is the state of the rest of the town

Aix is in pristine condition – every street is carefully washed down and the rubbish is collected three times a day for people who live in the old town. It’s partly to do with their tourism – thousands of people arrive every day to walk the old town, revel in its history, and take a walk back in time. They couldn’t afford to have a dirty town.

Marseille as France’s second-largest city – with a population of over 1,000,000 people, compared to 150,000 of Aix’s permanent residents – has a reputation for being the dirtiest city in France. The rubbish collectors are often on strike and common hearsay says they are allowed to finish their shift once they reach the end of their route – they are apparently not checked on how much rubbish they collect. Marseille lovers say it just adds to the city vibe, keeping it real.

But why? Let’s get right back to the root…

The Aix-Marseille rivalry goes back 2000 years or so. Massalia, as Marseille was then called, existed as a thriving Greek port and an important commercial center for over four centuries before Aix-en-Provence was founded. When the Salyens – a nearby tribe of poorly-behaved Gauls – started attacking Marseille and generally becoming bad for business, the pragmatic Greeks called on their allies in Rome for help. Roman consul Gaius Sextius Calvinus arrived at the head of an army and in 123 BC conquered the Salyens. He found a warm-water spring in a valley near his camp and decided that it would make a good place for a settlement. Aquae Sextia (literally “Sextius’ Springs”) would become the city we now call Aix-en-Provence.” according to Sophia van Woensel-Mose in PrefectlyProvence.

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Whatever kind of city you like to live in, one thing is clear. Both Aix and Marseilles are great places to visit for completely different reasons. Do you have a preference between these two interesting cities?

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Further reading:

1. Rivalry in Provence: is it a love-hate thing? by Alexis Herrington - an Aixois may look down their nose at what they refer to as ‘the less sophisticated Marseille’ and vice versa may also occur.
2. My favorite walks in Aix-en-Provence: Aix and Surrounds by Suzanne Grosso Vidal - The obvious way to come to Aix-en-Provence is to wander from La Fontaine de la Rotonde and head straight for Le Cours Mirabeau to do some shopping… but…
3. France’s modernist master – or monster? by James Rogers with reference to the impact on postwar reconstruction, specifically the high-rise tower blocks of the 1960s. These were born out of Le Corbusier’s Unité; a tower block set in open parkland. The controversial example of this was his Unité d’Habitation in Marseilles, completed in 1952. This majestic building is a truly elegant culmination of much of Le Corbusier’s theory.
4. Petanque, the regional sport of the South of France by Florent Rols - in Français and English - refers to the Pétanque World Cup in Marseille - The world's biggest petanque tournament takes place every year during July in Marseilles, the game's ancestral birthplace. The ' Marseillaise de Pétanque ' was launched in 1962 by Paul Ricard, founder of the label that bears his name; the politician Charles Pasqua; and some local journalists.

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2. New articles on MyFrenchLife Magazine

A Toulon: the ‘must-visit’ French city that has everything

Toulon... is a must-visit bigger French city, which has so much to offer. I will definitely be going back.

In all of the years that I’ve lived in France and most specifically in Provence, I have been told that Toulon is not really worth visiting.  Well, having been there recently, I am here to say that this is not true at all.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the beauty and diversity of this seaside city.  Discover more…

B. Alison Kerr, Transatlantic Adventures: First trip to France - Part 1/4

I invite you to enjoy this four-part conversation between Contributor Elisabeth Sauvage-Callaghan and her long-time friend Alison Kerr, who is (again) back in France. We’ll be publishing the entire conversation in serial form but pretty quickly. You’ll hear about the trials and tribulations of learning French, marrying a Frenchman (and his family), back and forth to the US and now back in France involved in the setup of an Artist Retreat in bucolic Cognac. Discover more…

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3. Merci mille fois

“Merci mille fois... for reading ‘le Bulletin’ …I'm grateful that you’re here - I really enjoy writing for you weekly...” Judy MacMahon

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