Marseille and Provence: Gluten-Free Travel Adventures

Bienvenue à France! There’s nothing quite like enjoying breakfast on your ship’s balcony while gliding into the port of Marseille, France’s most important maritime hub.

As promised, Marseille is every bit the industrial town, but a quick drive past the old port reveals a different side. The harbor is packed with so many sailboats that you’d think boat ownership is a requirement for citizenship here.

A winding drive up to the Notre Dame de la Garde basilica rewarded us with sweeping views of the harbor, the city, and the small island where the infamous Château d’If, of The Count of Monte Cristo fame, sits surrounded by sparkling blue waters.

Next, we were off to Provence, where I learned it was an independent country until it joined France some 500 years ago. I also learned, to my dismay, that the lavender fields, famed for their vibrant purple hues, are mere memories by mid-July, thanks to the world’s rising temperatures.

Arriving in Aix-en-Provence (pronounced “Ax”), we were introduced to the local sweet treat, Calissons. As luck would have it, Calissons are gluten-free, made from almond paste and a cantaloupe syrup. They’re described as a “hug for your mouth,” delivering a warm and happy sensation, much like the embrace it’s compared to. Our guide vouched for the Leonard Parli brand as the best, and we were thrilled to find it for sale in the market stalls along Aix’s cozier, narrower version of the Champs-Élysées.

However, we quickly learned that all the stores in Aix are closed on Sundays. This led to some frustration as we window-shopped, ogling the ‘bougie’ (our guide and our kids’ shorthand for bourgeois) and beautiful clothes that were temptingly out of reach. On the bright side, our wallets breathed a sigh of relief.

We picked a cafe for lunch without consulting https://www.findmeglutenfree.com/, which seems to have ideas for any town we visited. France may not be as friendly for gluten-free, but I did find a mention of a bakery in Paris that does GF croissants so perhaps the trend will take off.

With lavender sachets in hand and a renewed appreciation for Provence’s charm, we bid adieu to the birthplace of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, and a beloved corner of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.