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Shortly before his death in 1954, the artist (see Henri Matisse) donated a collection of paintings to the city in which he had lived for 37 years. They have found a superb home in a 17th-century Italianate villa on Cimiez Hill overlooking the city centre. Boosted by subsequent donations, the collection affords a comprehensive overview of Matisse’s work, from 1890 through to the gouache cut-outs of his later years. It is made all the more effective by the presentation of items from his daily life (see Musée Matisse, Nice).

Amid lovely gardens, this museum was purpose-built to house Chagall’s 17 great works on the “Biblical Message” (see Marc Chagall). The collection was later supplemented by oils, sketches, pastels and gouaches, donated by the Russian artist himself. He also created stained-glass windows, a mosaic and tapestry for the museum. The whole provides the world’s best opportunity to appreciate Chagall and the spiritual themes which fascinated him (see Musée National Message Biblique Marc Chagall, Nice).

A bishop’s palace during the Dark Ages, this building then fell into the hands of the Grimaldi lords of Monaco, before becoming the seat of the royal governors of the region. Today, it is one of the finest art museums in the world, housing 300 works by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (see Pablo Picasso), who worked here in 1946 and donated 25 of his drawings and paintings and more than 100 ceramic pieces. Work by other artists, including Léger, Ernst, Modigliani and Miró, is also on exhibition (see Musée Picasso, Antibes).

The former home of artist Auguste Renoir has been preserved almost exactly as it was at the time of his death in 1919. Ten of his paintings are on display, including Les Grandes Baigneuses (1892), along with works by his friends Raoul Dufy and Pierre Bonnard. The house is surrounded by olive groves (see Venus Victrix).

This Romanesque-Byzantine church is the symbol of Marseille. Perched on the city’s highest hill and topped by a great, gold statue of the Virgin, it can be seen from everywhere in the city and is itself all-seeing: the views from the church are spectacular. Built in the 1850s, the vaulted crypt is carved out of the rock while the sanctuary is rich with mosaics and marble.

Flourishing in Renaissance times, Oppède was deserted by 1900 – no one wanted to live on a barely accessible rock. Now some of the houses are being restored but the spot remains profoundly atmospheric, with medieval castle ruins.

The medieval papal palace dominates the town (see Palais des Papes).

Longchamp is the greatest expression of Marseille’s 19thcentury “golden age”. What is essentially a water tower is embellished in palatial Second Empire style. Fountains, columns and animal sculptures evoke abundance and fertility. The central gallery is flanked by two ornate wings, home to the Fine Arts and Natural History museums. Lush gardens stretch behind.

This large floral park is a themed wonderland of world horticulture with, at its centre, Europe’s biggest greenhouse. Inside the metal and glass “marquee”, one wanders through recreated warm-climate zones, from equatorial forest to the Natal desert. Also in the park is the Asian Arts Museum, a marble and glass construction built over an artificial lake. It contains classical and contemporary creations from the principal Asian civilizations.

The Luberon has a wild, mountain beauty and it is the park’s job to maintain the balance between tourists and the environment. Covering 150,000 ha (375,000 acres), it takes in the rugged Petit Luberon of crags, gorges and perched villages to the west and the more rounded Grand Luberon to the east. It also stretches north to the Monts de Vaucluse. The park’s headquarters in Apt have information on walks, the ecology and the area’s traditions (see Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon).