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Exhibitions on marine life.

In 123 BC the Phoenician Greeks, settled in Marseille since 600 BC, asked for Roman help against the invading Celtic tribes inland. After defeating the Celts, the Romans founded Aquae Sextia (Aix) in the area (see Aix-en-Provence).

Grimaldi disguised his soldiers as monks in order to seize Monaco in 1297.

With the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476 Provence was pillaged by barbarians, eventually coming under the rule of the Franks. From the 8th century the coasts were harried by Moorish pirates who gave their name to the Massif des Maures. They were finally defeated in 974 by Guillaume le Libérateur, Count of Arles.

This Nobel Prize-winner (1830–1914) wrote epic poems based on local lore.

Despite its relaxed beach-bag and flip-flop image, the town of Fréjus has an exceptional double heritage. As Forum Julii, it was the second port of the Roman Empire in the region and retains some of the oldest and most extensive ancient remains in Provence. Particularly notable are the elliptical, 12,000-seater arena and theatre (see Les Arènes de Fréjus). Meanwhile, the town’s medieval bishopric status has left it with an extraordinary group of episcopal buildings. The 12th-century cathedral incorporates a wonderful octagonal baptistry from an earlier, 5th-century church while the 14th-century cloisters have ceilings painted with bracingly lurid events from the Apocalypse (see Notre-Dame-de-Beaulieu, Cucuron). Definitely not to be missed out from any tour of the Var region.

Finest grocery-cum-delicatessen in Marseille, with irresistible selections of cheese, cold meats, spices, wines and much else besides.

Get the Monaco look at an affordable price at this shopping centre which houses a selection of designer shops selling prêt-à-porter clothes, shoes and accessories.

Sometimes known as “son of Châteauneuf-duPape” but the full-bodied wines definitely stand out on their own.

This delightful gîte , nestled in a village among rocky hillsides is a great place to unwind. For swimming, the lakes of Castillon and Chaudanne are five minutes away.