Ile d'If--Count of Monte Cristo Fame

ISLE D'IF

MARSEILLE FRANCE

COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO FAME

History

The Island is a small 3 HA located  3.5 km from Marseliie and was built between 1524-1531 at the request of King Francis I who saw it as a place for strategic defence fro attack from the sea. It was never used for that purpose and became a prison and dumping ground for politcal and religious activiists that needed a holdiay for a while. Over 3.500 Huguenos endd up here.It ceasef being a prison in 1890 and was opened up to the public .

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexander Dumas published his famous novel in 1844.

In 1815, Edmond Dantes, a young merchant sailor returned to Marseille to wed Mercedes.On the eve of his marriage,Fernand Mondego, a cousin of Merceds and a rival for her affections accuses Dante of being a Bonapartist Traitor.Villefort, the Deputy Crown Prosecutor, a stauncg Royalist condems Dante to life imprisonment , as a way of silencing him as poor old Dantes was innocent  in Chateau D'Íf.After six years Dante befriends Abbe Faria, The Mad Priest , an Irtalian and fellow prisoner.Faria mentors Dante in all things good and wise and tells Dante of tresure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo.When Faria dies, Dante takes his place in the burial sack, and swims to a nearby island.With som help he gets to Monte Cristo, finds a few diamonds and bought a boat and returned to the island to get the rest. He bought the island  and the title from the Tuscan government and then sets out to seek revenge of the three who put him in jail.Never sure what happened to Mercedes but he ended up with someone else.

Sea Shuttles depart from Vieux Port and there is an entrance fee to the castle