My wife and I moved from London to Marseille a little over five years ago when our British passports still conferred \u201cright to reside\u201d in France. That first winter on the beach, in short sleeves, as our daughters played in the topaz-coloured Mediterranean and the sun set across an ever-clear blue sky, I understood why this part of southern France has always been popular with artists.<\/p>\n
I was recently speaking about this with the painter Fanny Nushka<\/a> and her sailor husband, Beno\u00eet Bouchet, on the terrace of Caf\u00e9 la Muse<\/a> in Marseille\u2019s \u201ccoolest\u201d neighbourhood<\/a>. She said: \u201cIt took a long time to go back to blue. It\u2019s like being in Paris and painting the Eiffel Tower. It\u2019s dangerous to paint the Calanques [limestone coves] as an artist from here.\u201d<\/p>\n We moved to Marseille for the same reason that has attracted countless artists: it\u2019s cheaper to live here. Marseille\u2019s affordability enables Fanny to paint full-time and Beno\u00eet to sail without being away from his family for weeks. Beno\u00eet runs daily catered cruises on a listed sailing yacht, Le Don du Vent<\/a>. For \u20ac135, you get a taste of Mediterranean luxury with swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing in the unspoiled sea coves around Marseille, pausing briefly for wine and a lunch prepared onboard.<\/p>\n Always buzzing \u2026\u00a0La Friche in Marseille. Photograph: Hemis\/Alamy<\/p>\n C\u00e9line Ghisleri, co-president of Provence Contemporary Art<\/a>, which represents 62 arts organisations in and around Marseille, tells me the city has always had a dynamic art scene. However, the turning point came when Marseille was named European Capital of Culture in 2013. Since then, large institutions such as Frac Sud<\/a>, Mac<\/a> and the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (Mucem<\/a>) have expanded the city\u2019s offering with bigger exhibitions from more widely recognised artists.<\/p>\n This summer, the Mucem\u2019s exhibitions are Bonnes M\u00e8res, a collection of contemporary and historical works on the theme of motherhood, and Cl\u00e9ment Cogitore\u2019s fascinating Ferdinandea, l\u2019\u00eele \u00e9ph\u00e9m\u00e8re, a body of work centred on the brief existence of a volcanic Mediterranean island. At the end of August, the art fair Art-O-Rama<\/a> will be hosted at La Friche La Belle de Mai<\/a>. La Friche (the Wasteland) was a tobacco factory and is now an enormous warren of a multidisciplinary arts centre that is always buzzing, especially in the summer when they set up a movie screen and food trucks on the roof. La Friche is emblematic of the art scene in Marseille: absolute chaos, but somehow it works.<\/p>\n Outside Marseille, Plein Sud<\/a>, a network of contemporary art organisations between Monaco and Montpellier, produces a guide with travel itineraries. It\u2019s how I discovered the charming Gallifet<\/a> art centre in nearby Aix-en-Provence, which is only about 40 minutes from Marseille but exists in a completely different universe.<\/p>\n Mucem in Marseille. Photograph: Pcalapre\/Alamy<\/p>\n You couldn\u2019t be further away from Marseille\u2019s port city energy than Aix\u2019s daily market at Place Richelme, where you can grab a coffee and, if you are lucky, an outdoor seat at the patisserie and salon de th\u00e9 Maison Weibel<\/a>. For lunch, I recommend Dr\u00f4le d\u2019Endroit<\/a> (Funny Place). It is tucked down an alley off a sidestreet, but the meals are always pleasing and the atmosphere friendly. Another solid choice is Tita<\/a> for Levantine street food.<\/p>\n As tiny and quiet as Aix is, it has an abundance of museums, such as the Granet Museum<\/a>, the Caumont Art Centre<\/a> and the Vasarely Foundation<\/a>, but they tend to lean heavily on art that historians have already anointed. For example, it wasn\u2019t until 1984 that the Granet acquired any works by the local boy done good, C\u00e9zanne, whose preserved studio<\/a> is just up the hill.<\/p>\n A striking sculpture by Diadji Diop in the courtyard of Gallifet gallery, Aix-en-Provence. Photograph: Javier Larrea\/Alamy<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it was refreshing to find Gallifet trying something different. The owners, Nicolas Mazet and Kate Davis, have a mission to bring contemporary art to conservative Aix. Located on the ground floor of an 18th-century townhouse, the courtyard\u2019s striking red sculpture of a swimmer mid-stroke, by Diadji Diop<\/a>, hints that Gallifet is more than just a home (the owners live above the art centre).<\/p>\n This summer\u2019s exhibition features a retrospective of the photographer Fran\u00e7ois Halard<\/a>, with more than 100 works spanning more than three decades. Until the end of September, Gallifet also hosts a seasonal restaurant and chef\u2019s residency. This year, two Paris-based chefs, Lisa Desforges and Bruno Hammerle, will use Provence\u2019s abundant and delicious ingredients to create menus including entrees such as smoked ricotta gnocchi with peas and a peapod veloute. Gallifet also offers two apartments (from \u20ac200 and \u20ac160 per night), both decorated with pieces from previous exhibitions and filled with Proven\u00e7al features such as marble fireplaces and tomette terracotta tiles.<\/p>\n Palais des Papes, in Avignon. Photograph: Image Broker\/Alamy<\/p>\n A little further up the Rh\u00f4ne, Avignon nestles against the river, enclosed by preserved medieval walls. The Palais des Papes overlooks the renowned vineyards of Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape to the north and lavender fields to the south. Each July, the town is taken over by the Avignon festival<\/a>, one of the oldest performance arts festivals.<\/p>\n double quotation markAix-en-Provence is only about 40 minutes from Marseille but exists in a completely different universe<\/p>\n After a visit, take a walk along the most picturesque and charming street in Avignon, La Rue Peyrolerie. A winding medieval cobbled alley leads to an equally charming restaurant, L\u2019\u00c9picerie<\/a>, situated in a square beside a small 14th-century gothic church with an ornately carved walnut-wood door. The cuisine is classic French, served in generous portions by friendly staff. Every time we visit Avignon, we dine here and have never been disappointed, but be warned that the terrace fills up quickly. This is a well-known and well-loved spot among locals. Another safe bet for outdoor courtyard dining is Num\u00e9ro 75<\/a>.<\/p>\n The most notable address for contemporary art in Avignon is the Lambert Collection<\/a>, housed in two stunning 18th-century townhouses, H\u00f4tel de Caumont and H\u00f4tel de Montfaucon. The collection is the legacy of Yvon Lambert, a celebrated gallerist and collector who made his reputation in the latter half of the 20th century championing American artists such as Nan Goldin, Donald Judd, Lawrence Weiner and Cy Twombly. The collection continues to support up-and-coming local artists in its Antechamber of Summer exhibition. This year\u2019s exhibition is by Melika Sadeghzadeh<\/a>, an Iranian artist living and working in Montpellier.<\/p>\n Luma art complex, with a tower by the architect Frank Gehry, in Arles. Photograph: Hesham Elsherif\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Just south of Avignon, Arles has at its centre a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre, which hosts plays and concerts. The Vincent van Gogh Foundation<\/a> and Luma<\/a> host several exhibitions throughout the year, but the real treat comes in July during the Rencontres d\u2019Arles<\/a>. For 50 years, venues across town, from galleries to grocery stores, have showcased a wide range of contemporary and historical photography.<\/p>\n Recently, we went to Arles for its Festival of Drawing<\/a>. After a wander through the picturesque medieval streets of the Roquette district on the east side of town, popping into venues as we went, we discovered the tiny restaurant P\u00e1ou<\/a> in the quaint Place Paul Doumer. The menu promised sharing plates starring local produce and wines. So we sat down for another meal at another terrace table, under another clear blue sky.<\/p>\n