Old Port of Marseille
Historic yacht harbor ringed by cafes, where a plague-carrying merchant ship once anchored.
This guide to the Old Port of Marseille centers on the Grand-Saint-Antoine, a merchant ship that anchored off the harbor mouth in May 1720 after ten months at sea, with eight crew already dead and a fortune in silk and cotton below deck bound for the Beaucaire trade fair. It follows Captain Jean-Baptiste Chataud and the city magistrate Jean-Baptiste Estelle, who held a stake in the cargo and could not afford the standard month-long quarantine before the fair. You'll hear how health records got quietly altered as the deadline pressed in. Picture the warehouses that once lined this very waterfront as you look out over the harbor.
Audio guides are written and narrated by AI.