Discover Marseille through Giovanni Zattera
Marseille, a city forged by the coexistence of diverse cultures that have woven its unique identity. Facades weathered by the salty wind and conversations that always seem about to begin. Marseille is a long after-dinner conversation in the sun: unpretentious, intense, honest. Giovanni Zattera has made Marseille his city, exploring every corner and forging the chapters of his personal history.
The Académie de billard Marseille is his daily refuge. Founded in 1917, it is a space suspended in time where friendships are forged over time. “Here I have found my family in Marseille,” he says. His second home opens onto the sea: the Plage du Petit Nice, small and vibrant, where “you'll run into everyone” and where Marseille life boils down to a simple plan: “What shall we do? Man, let's go to Petit Nice... then we'll see.”
When he's looking for sunsets, he sits on the terrace at Poulpe, where the sun sets behind a romantic panorama of the city. And if the evening calls for nostalgia, he heads to the Bistrot de la Plage: a retro postcard from the 90s, with sunny cocktails and a peaceful atmosphere. Good food, on the other hand, can be found at Ripaille, a restaurant in the Panier neighbourhood with exceptional cuisine. And to celebrate, there's nothing like a visit to Écaillerie, a “very cool” oyster bar that brings to mind happy news and toasts with friends.
Creativity has its place at Pavilion Southway, an artists' residence where design and history coexist. But Marseille doesn't end on dry land. Just 25 minutes by boat, the Frioul archipelago offers an atmosphere he describes as “almost lunar.” And on ordinary days, his little luxury is running along the Corniche at sunset, with good music and the sea as his witness. Among the architecture he loves, Le Corbusier's La Cité Radieuse stands out: a modern icon open to the public, with cafés and shops that make it more than just a building.
In his collaboration with Alhaja, the inspiration was immediate: the Mediterranean. “The Mediterranean makes you happier, younger, brings people together, it is a divinity that never stops giving.” Among the pieces he designed, his favourite is the Egeo ring, inspired by the Strait of Gibraltar and the ancient idea that the world ended there. But he prefers to see it as a welcoming threshold: “Welcome, traveller, you have found your home, you have found the precious stone, you have found the Mediterranean Sea.”
In his words, his gestures, and his favourite places, there is a common thread: the sea as a guide, friendship as a compass, and Marseille as his chosen port
