|
|
|
|
Marseille
229.5 km
Wednesday 18 July
Free fall over Gap area (Picture: Oliver Hénaff)
Situated in the Hautes-Alpes department. Pop: 2,000 (known as Tallardiens). Blessed with exceptional weather, located between the Alps and Provence to the south-east of Gap, this small town has the perfect conditions both for agriculture and aerial leisure activities. The Tallard-Barcillonnette area is dotted with orchards. A few acres of vineyard still grow in Tallard and Châteauvieux.
The famous Route Napoleon passes through the town.
The castle, overlooking the Durance valley to the east and the old hamlet to the west, dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries, and is listed as a Historic Monument. Tallard is also the place for aerial sports, with remarkable aerological conditions. Many events have been held there, such as the 2003 world skydiving championships. Thanks to its specific atmospheric conditions, all aerial sports share the Tallard skies : planes, helicopters, parachutes, microlights, balloons, paramotors... Céüze cliff, next to the village of Segoyer, attracts climbers from all over the world.
Euromed and Marseille harbour (Picture : City of Marseille)
With a history that goes back some 2,600 years, France’s oldest city has fashioned itself a most atypical personality stemming from a rich and sometimes tumultuous past. Open to all exchanges, discoveries, cultures and solidarities, Marseille is the land of generosity and fraternity. The sun and light have always charmed artists, the likes of Cezanne and Van Gogh, writers such as Marcel Pagnol, and now movie directors who come to shoot their pictures, like Taxi 4.
The sun also plays its part in attracting over 400,000 sailing visitors a year to France’s second largest city. Such attractiveness has also brought economic success, with the Euromediteranean business neighborhood, competitivity hubs and urban tax-free zones.
Finally, the hills, coastline and typical creeks provide a unique and well-preserved setting, conveying inimitable charm to Marseille’s 111 neighborhoods. Next challenge in sight: in 2013, Marseille will be Europe’s cultural capital of the year.
