French Riviera
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The Riviera
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Sights
* Antibes
* Beaulieu-sur-mer
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* Fayence
* Fréjus
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* Grasse
* Grimaud
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* Mandelieu-la NapOule
* Massif des Maures
* Menton
Monaco
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Walk/Drive
Food&Drink
In The Know
Did You Know?
( Highly Recommended )
Only 1.5km from the frontier, it comes as no surprise that Menton is France's most Italianate resort, a picture-postcard jumble of tall, pale ochre houses at the foot of a sheltering mountain backdrop.
Until the mid-19th century, when the Riviera became a fashionable and wealthy winter resort, Menton was a little-known fishing port belonging to the Grimaldis. Fin de siècle hotels resembling palaces started to spring up throughout the town. After World War I, Menton lost out to its more glamorous neighbours - Nice, Cannes, St-Tropez and Monaco - although the faded elegance of the belle époque is still apparent.
By contrast, the medieval old town is a hotchpotch of ancient pastel-coloured houses dissected by terracotta-paved steps, alleys and tiny squares. There are two magnificent baroque churches: St-Michel and the Chapelle de la Conception, with finely ornamented façades. Between them, the Parvis St-Michel, a mosaic square of black and white cobbles depicting the Grimaldi coat of arms, provides a delightful setting for the summer Chamber Music Festival.
On the site of the ancient castle at the top of the old town, a fascinating cemetery with sweeping sea views reflects the cosmopolitanism of the town at the end of the last century, and was described by writer Guy de Maupassant as 'the most aristocratic in Europe'. Other notable sights include the Musée de la Préhistoire Régional, Palais Carnolès, the sumptuous 18th-century summer residence of the Princes of Monaco, now Menton's main art museum; and the Musée Jean Cocteau, dedicated to the town's most famous son. Cocteau also decorated the remarkable Salle des Mariages
in the Hôtel de Ville, reflecting romantic, spiritual and ironic images of matrimony.
Menton is France's warmest town, boasting an annual 300 days of sun and as a result the town is bursting with semi-tropical gardens. Most of them are in the wealthy Garavan district in the foothills behind the town near the Italian border, notably the charming Jardin Botanique, the ancient olive grove of Parc du Pian and the Valencian Jardin Fontana Rosa, dedicated to writers by Spanish author Blasso Ibánez.
Menton is also the 'lemon capital of the world', and the terraced slopes behind are covered in citrus groves. The garden surrounding the Palais Carnolès claims to be the largest citrus fruit garden in Europe. The Biovès garden in the town centre, fancifully bordered with palms and lemon trees, is the venue in February of Menton's spectacular Fête du Citron (Lemon Festival), with its amazing garden displays and procession of floats made out of 130 tonnes of golden citrus fruits.
Other: Peille, Peillon, Ste-Agnes (Drive), Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Practical: Ten-day Lemon Festival (Fête du Citron) in Feb; Music Festival in Aug
Info: Palais de l'Europe, avenue Boyer Phone: 04 92 41 76 76
Musée de la Préhistoire Régional
Address: rue Lorédan LarcheyPhone: 04 93 35 84 64
Open: Wed-Mon 10-12, 2-6. Closed Tue and hols
Accessible: Few
Admission: Free
Palais Carnolès Musée des Beaux-Arts
Address: 3 avenue de la MadonePhone: 04 93 35 49 71
Open: Wed-Mon 10-12, 2-6. Closed Tue and hols
Accessible: Good
Admission: Free
Practical: Free access also to the citrus gardens
Musée Jean Cocteau
Address: quai Napoléon IIIPhone: 04 93 57 72 30
Open: Wed-Mon 10-12, 2-6. Closed Tue and hols
Accessible: Few
Admission: Moderate
Salle des Mariages
Address: Hôtel de Ville, place ArdoïnoPhone: 04 92 10 50 00
Open: 8:30-12:30, 1:30-5. Closed Sat, Sun and hols
Accessible: Very good
Admission: Cheap
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