A city to love or hate: few big cities, like Marseille, manage to evoke such conflicting feelings. It is true that Marseille is much more than a city: it is a vast, complex terrain, simultaneously rugged, chaotic, and rocky, yet gentle, peaceful, with unparalleled light.

An 111-neighborhood puzzle, broken apart by history and sometimes violent and anarchic urbanization. This guide, written by a Southerner from the West, presents Marseille without pretenses, clichés, or prejudices. From a castle that hosts one of the best collections of post-graffiti in New York, to the graves of Indian soldiers and even the secret hideout of a forbidden love set against the sound of castanets. Here you'll find 111 favorites: places with an authenticity that is typically Marseille, often connected with historical stories, but also men and women of worth and solidarity, who have this city in their blood, whether they were born here or not.