Provence is the sunny bit at the bottom of France. There's a seaside bit (the Côte d'Azur,) a marshy bit (the Camargue) and a hilly bit (the Alps.)
The earliest known settlement is a neolithic site from 6,000 BC located near Marseille's railway station, which shows just how advanced they were. The Greeks established Massalia as an 'emporium' (Cash 'n' Carry.) Next up were the Romans, who found the region such a pleasant holiday destination that they called it 'Our Province.' The Romans stayed for 300 years, during which time they built many ruins. In 275 AD Germanic tribes invaded Provence and have been doing so ever since.
Marseille is France's second city and joins 'New York, New York' and 'I Left my Heart in San Francisco' in having a song named after it. Actually La Marseillaise was written by a citizen of Strasbourg and sung in Paris by revolutionaries from Marseille who'd heard it sung there by a man from Montpellier. So the title of France's national anthem just means 'That song those blokes from Marseilles sing.'
Near Marseilles is the Museum of the French Foreign Legion at Aubagne. The Legion owes its legendary status to its brave stand at the Battle of Camerone (Mexico 1863.) An expeditionary force led by Capitaine Danjou finally surrendered to the Mexican Army when they'd been whittled down to the last two Legionnaires. Capitaine Danjou himself died in the battle and his trademark wooden hand was stolen. The Mexicans later returned it to the museum, where it is paraded annually on Camerone Day. A parade not to miss, I think.
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