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Situated
in the south of the Department, between Aix-en-Provence and Marseilles,
Les Pennes Mirabeau is also only a stone’s throw from Marignane
and the airport.
There
are two sides to Les Pennes Mirabeau... the most well-known is that of
the huge commercial and industrial area which you will travel through
from the Aix-Marseilles-Marignane motorway. Populated by business parks
and commercial districts, dotted with industrial warehouses and office
blocks, this area is not really of any interest to the tourist.
The lesser known and more interesting
part of Les Pennes Mirabeau is the old village. This is slightly elevated,
beyond the industrial estate (going towards Marignane or Vitrolles). The
village is set back a little from the N113, and stretches along a ridge
of limestone crags. Some houses and small blocks of flats are constructed
right against the rock a nd
the centre of the village is surrounded by a number of small residential
estates. The centre of Les Pennes Mirabeau is typical of the villages
of the Midi, with its long main street, its little shops, its bars (and
their regulars…), its little square and its lively atmosphere.
You can’t miss the lovely bell-tower,
with its little paved square, which rises up at the foot of a small mound.
Higher up, a few metres beyond the church, you can enjoy a vast panoramic
view: in the distance, behind Marseilles, you can see the sea, to the
south-west is the Estaque chain, to the east the Etoile chain and to the
north-west you will spot Marseilles-Marignane airport.
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