Everyone’s heard of Marseille soap, that hard, cuboid, oh-so-French soap that’s been produced in the south of France, especially in the areas around Marseille and Salon-de-Provence, for nigh on 600 years. At the Marseille Soap Museum (www.musee-savon-marseille.com/en/ ), you’ll get to hear the inside story of a Provençal legend…

The museum itself is housed inside the Marius Fabre soap factory, which has been operational since 1900. It’s a great place to showcase the history of Marseille soap, how it’s made, what goes into it, the industrial processes behind it and the people who worked in the factories and workshops producing it. There’s a real local pride in this world-famous product, especially in the craftsmanship and knowledge that made the industry as successful as it has been – and continues to be. The museum brings together a whole selection of items and artefacts from different periods, but all reveal another facet – cultural, technological, economic – of this industry. Early soap presses, soap stamps made from boxwood, cheerful advertising posters from the pre-war era, other examples of tools and machinery – all have their place and their story to tell. Even better, the museum is free of charge to individuals and is open on Saturdays as well as weekdays.