"Qu'a vist Paris, se noun a vist Cassis, n'ai ren vist"
If you have seen Paris, but not Cassis, you have seen nothing at all
A mere 20 km away from Marseille, Cassis is a city with a lot to offer. Separated from Marseille by the famous calanques (inlets), time seems to have stood still in this gem of a city. This little fishing harbour, with only 8,000 inhabitants, has acquired international fame by having remained true to its Provençal and Mediterranean origins.
Cassis is an important maritime location, and because of this, was occupied as early as 600 BC. Traditions, history, heritage, it is simply impossible to sum up with mere words what took centuries to create: a spirit, a real identity.
As Frédéric Mistral wrote in a famous poem : « If you have seen Paris, but not Cassis, you have seen nothing at all».
A unique identity
Fishing, fishermen and pointus (small local boats) are the heart and soul of life in Cassis. The architecture of the houses in the harbour is like them: simple, sobre and so strong that it is now protected. The listed city centre will take your breath away with its colourful alleyways, its private mansions, its fountains and its shaded squares. Finally, make sure not to miss the famous vineyards of the area.
First-class vineyards
Wine-growing has been a tradition in Cassis since the antiquity and all through the Middle-Ages, according to numerous pieces of writing. However, this tradition really improved with the famous King René, the « wine-growing king », when he returned to Provence in 1492. It was in his reign indeed that new varieties were introduced, such as the muscat grapes from the Italian peninsula.
From then on, the locals decided to dedicate more land to wine-growing, and from the end of the 16th century the local archives mention vineyards in the northern and eastern parts of the area, when before only the south-east was involved in that culture.
At the dawn of the 19th century, Cassis had become a land of wine-growing, with a long-standing history. Unfortunately, around 1870 all the vineyards of the area were destroyed by an insect, the « Phylloxera Vastatrix ». It took almost 60 years to grow back all the vines, and it was only in 1929, with a production of around 30,000litres, that the vineyards completely recovered from that plague, and covered the same area as they used to.
The city now commemorates this rebirth every September with Cassis’s fête du vin et des vendanges (wine and grape-picking festival). The event is carefully planned : provençal mass at St Michel’s church, local folk groups dancing the danse de la souche on the church’s square, St Eloi procession, coupling procession, and wine tasting organised by the local wine-growers.
