Upon arrival in the town of La Ciotat you might think that this is a very unlikely setting for some of the most experimental painting of the ealrly years of the twentieth century. The town is divided between ribbon development along the shores of the Gulf d’Amour dedicated to the holiday industry and the commercial port at the western end dominated by the giant cranes of the shipyard. However, the town has a topographical secret which may be missed by many visitors.

The origins of the settlement go back to Neolithic times and the Greeks and Romans undoubtedly made use of the safe anchorage where the old town is now gathered around the busy harbour. La Ciotat means “the city” and this appellation dates back to a charter of 1429. In subsequent centuries shipyards were established and these remain to this day with the massive Krupp’s crane standing testament to a proud shipbuilding heritage. The main focus of activity today is in the construction and repair of super-yachts for the super-rich.

The secret alluded to earlier lies to the west of the harbour where the natural landscape soon takes over from urban development. Inlets from the sea or ‘calanques’ have been sculpted over the millennia to form incredible rock formations. The bay of Mugel is only a stone’s-throw away from the town but has a stunning backdrop of rounded hills rising out of the verdant acres of the botantical gardens – well worth a visit. Only a little further out of the town is the calanque of Figuerolles, a delightful little bay sheltered by sandstone cliffs eroded into strange shapes, one of which is known as ‘eagle’s beak’ and it very easy to see why.

It is these natural phenomena that provided the inspiration for Georges Braque and Othon Friesz to create many paintings in the ‘Fauve’ style, a pivotal development in the story of art in the twentieth century.

They were not alone in finding the area a stimulus in the advancement of the visual arts. The Lumière brothers, Louis and Auguste, were the sons of a wealthy family who had an estate in the town and it was here that they developed the motion picture. The very first ‘movie’ was of a steam train arriving at the railway station, created in 1895 and shown in Paris and at their home. In 1889 the Eden Theatre was opened in the town as the very first cinema venue in the world and after many years of dilapidation it has been fully restored and can still be visited today.

One of the town’s other claims to fame is that the game of pétanque was invented here in 1910 at the Jeu de Boules Béraud.

HOW TO GET TO LA CIOTAT

By air
The nearest airport is Marseille Provence and this is well-served by air services from the UK including daily flights from London Heathrow (British Airways), London Gatwick (Easy Jet) and London Stansted (Ryanair). From the airport there are frequent bus connections to Gare Saint Charles in Marseille and then it is possible to catch a train to La Ciotat. The station is some distance from the centre of town and there is a bus service to the Gare Routière located by the old port.

By train
There are frequent high-speed rail services from Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille with a journey time of approximately 3 hours 20 minutes. It is also possible to travel from London to Marseille by Eurostar and the TGV with a total journey time of approximately 6 hours 30 minutes. The connecting train to La Ciotat from Marseille has a journey time of approximately 30 minutes.

By bus
There is a service between La Ciotat and Aix-en-Provence via Aubagne and Marseille by Cartreize (www.cartreize.com). More local connections to Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, Bandol, La Cadière d’Azur and Le Beausset are operated by Var Lib (www.varlib.fr). Services within the town are run by Ciotabus (www.ciotabus.fr).

By car
La Ciotat is close to the A50 motorway and is accessed by taking exit 9, signed La Ciotat, or exit 10 for St. Cyr les Lecques.

Tourist information in La Ciotat
Boulevard Anatole France, La Ciotat 13600
Tel: 04 42 08 61 32/04 42 08 78 76  Fax: 04 42 08 17 88
Website: www.laciotat.info  E-mail: tourismeciotat@wanadoo.fr
Open: Summer 09.00–20.00 Monday to Saturday, 10.00–13.00 Sunday and Public Holidays; Winter 10.00–13.00 Monday to Saturday.
Closed: December 25 and January 1.

MUSEUMS AND PLACES OF INTEREST

Musée Ciotaden
Run by Les Amis du Vieux La Ciotat dedicated to a presentation of local history arranged across 15 rooms.
Quai Ganteaume, 13600 La Ciotat
Tel: 04 42 71 40 99
E-mail: contact@museeciotaden.org   Website: www.museeciotaden.org
Open: Every afternoon except Tuesday, September to June 15.00–18.00, July and August 14.00–19.00. For details of opening on public holidays contact the museum directly.
There is an entry fee.

Parc du Mugel
The extensive grounds contain various regional plants including holm oaks, cork oaks, chestnut trees, bay trees and noble bay trees, carob trees, Aleppo pines, stone pines, bamboo, wild flowers, aromatic and medicinal plants as well as a collection of citrus fruits and roses.
Avenue des Calanques, 13600 La Ciotat
Tel: 04 42 08 88 42
E-mail: b.girardin@mairie-laciotat.fr
Open: There are Friday afternoon guided tours (in French) at 14.00 from April to October but you must register in advance by e-mail or telephone.
Entry free.

Eden Theatre
Erected in 1889, the Eden Theatre is the world’s oldest cinema venue. This is where the first movies by the Lumière Brothers were screened. The building has been fully renovated and the doors opened again to the public in 2013.
Boulevard Georges Clemenceau, 13600 La Ciotat
Tel: 04 88 42 17 60
Website: www.edencinemalaciotat.com