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European Capital of Culture: A capital experience in Marseille

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   Cultural calendar steams ahead after innumerable delays
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   After a sluggish start and innumerable delays, Marseille's year as
   European Capital of Culture is steaming ahead. The year was nearly
   halfway over before some of the flagship projects finally opened. Two
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   the first national museum outside Paris. Permanent exhibitions showcase
   the history of the peoples of the Mediterranean – fittingly so, as
   most of these races have been absorbed into Marseille's multi-ethnic
   population over the centuries since the city was founded 2,500 years
   ago.

   Even its architect, Rudy Ricciotti, personifies the mish-mash that is
   Marseille: he's French, of Italian origin and born in Algeria.

   The latticework covering parts of the building screens a walkway around
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   a decent grasp of the language.

   Even with delays and ubiquitous construction cranes, Marseille could
   end up doing a London Olympics and surpassing everyone's expectations.
   That's already evident in the Vieux Port, where traffic has been tamed
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   6m above the ground at the water's edge, instantly captivates as people
   can't help but stare up and marvel at a world turned upside down. Which
   is exactly what the city of Marseille needed.

   www.mp2013.fr
   Suggested Topics
     * Marseille
     * Architects
     * France