The Old Port has been Marseille's heart since the Greeks arrived, the natural harbor they recognized still functioning after 2,600 years. The fishing boats that depart before dawn return with the catch that stocks the fish market on the Quai des Belges; the bouillabaisse served in the restaurants that line the port claims direct descent from Greek fishermen's stew. The Vieux-Port was heavily damaged in World War II - the Germans dynamited the north side in 1943 - but rebuilt to serve yachts and tourists where cargo ships once docked.

The ferry to Chateau d'If departs from the Quai des Belges, carrying visitors to the fortress that held the fictional Count of Monte Cristo. The reflection of Notre-Dame de la Garde on the water, the fish vendors hawking the morning's catch, the cafe terraces filling as afternoon arrives - the Vieux-Port is the stage where Marseille performs itself. The authenticity is real enough, even if cameras have changed the audience.

The basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde crowns the highest point in Marseille, its golden Madonna visible from every approach. The church was built in the 1850s in Neo-Byzantine style, its interior covered with ex-votos - model ships, paintings, plaques - left by those who prayed for safe voyages and return. The practice continues; the walls testify to centuries of maritime faith.

Marseillais call her 'la Bonne Mere' - the Good Mother - and climb the hill on August 15th for her feast day. The view from the terrace encompasses the entire city: the Vieux-Port directly below, the Chateau d'If in the bay, the calanques stretching toward Cassis, the urban sprawl extending north toward the industrial zones. The Good Mother watches over a city that has always faced the sea, always sent its people out and welcomed strangers in.

The Calanques National Park stretches 20 kilometers from Marseille to Cassis, a landscape of white limestone cliffs plunging into turquoise water. The calanques - narrow inlets accessible by boat or challenging hiking trails - offer Mediterranean beauty within urban reach. The park, established in 2012, protects both terrestrial and marine ecosystems from the pressure that proximity to a major city creates.

The most famous calanques - Sormiou, Morgiou, Sugiton, En-Vau - draw hikers and swimmers who descend from the ridges to beaches accessible no other way. The underwater caves of the Cosquer Cave hold prehistoric paintings discovered in 1985, evidence of human presence 27,000 years ago when sea levels were lower. The calanques represent Marseille's other face - not the urban port but the wild coast that begins where the city ends.

Marseille's population includes substantial communities from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, and sub-Saharan Africa - legacies of colonialism and its aftermath. The neighborhoods of Belsunce and Noailles feel North African: the souks, the halal butchers, the couscous restaurants, the call to prayer from mosques that serve communities the ferry once connected to their homelands. The ferry to Algiers still runs, though air travel has reduced its passengers.

The immigration has created tensions that national politics exploits. Marseille's crime rates, its drug trade, its reputation for danger - these are often coded references to its immigrant populations. Yet the diversity that critics condemn is also what makes Marseille different from other French cities, more interesting if more complicated. The city that welcomed Greeks 2,600 years ago continues welcoming newcomers; the process is never smooth.

Olympique de Marseille is more than a football club - it is civic religion, identity, therapy. The Velodrome stadium holds 67,000, the largest in France, and fills with supporters whose passion borders on violence. The 1993 Champions League victory remains the only time a French club has won European football's top prize; the achievement's glow has outlasted the corruption scandal that followed.

The club's fortunes rise and fall, but support remains constant. The Vieux-Port fills with celebrating or mourning fans after matches; the city's mood tracks the season's results. Marseille's football identity distinguishes it from Paris, whose club (PSG) is bankrolled by Qatar and represents everything Marseillais consider artificial. OM is local, passionate, imperfect - like the city itself.