Menton is one of those appealing places
you cannot miss to visit in France, a paradise of
fascinating colours of a unique Mediterranean coast, the enchanting Côte
D´Azur, a stunning and picturesque destination with marvellous
landscapes boasting a superb beauty which inspired since a long time ago a
myriad of people who once there immediately fall in love with that corner of
the magnificent French
Riviera.
Facing a scenic bay and highlighted by old picturesque
houses built in groups descending along a more than captivating promontory
towards its charming harbour Menton is a coastal town of approximately 30,000
inhabitants and it shows in all its splendour a mixture of true charm and
divine poetry.
Located next to the Italian border, very close
to the Ligurian town of Ventimiglia and bathed by the Mediterranean Sea,
its geographical position is absolutely wonderful highlighted on one side by
the striking and picturesque Corniche, that scenic hilly road dominating
the stunning maritime horizon of that so attractive land.
That seaside town of the Department of
Alpes-Maritime in the region of the Provence-Côte D´Azur is situated
at just 13, 0 kilometres from the Principality of Monaco and for its
history and culture it is one of the most important centres of that territory.
With a more than deserved iconic nickname as La Perle de France,
the pearl of France, such denomination is an award received a long time for the
immense beauty for its enchanting scenery, an Eden which apart the natural
marvels encircling its boundaries it is also due to its magnificent gardens
scattered all around its urban setting and a historic patrimony and monumental
of sublime value.
Other details which are undoubtedly something of
extremely fascinating are the sunrises and sunsets simply magic you can admire
in that seaside resort, a feast of lights, reflections and colours all year
simply astonishing from the promontory of the nearest peninsula of
Roquebrun-Cap-Martin but also looking the heights overlooking its centre so
enchanting immediately visible also coming from Castellar and Sainte-Agnes, all
there is the fascination of a sort of dreamland.
It is not a case that for all those astonishing views
and images and its unmistakable charm Menton became since many years ago one of
the favourite destinations of an incredible number of prominent people.
A large list of artists, writers, poets, philosophers
were immediately attracted to spend unforgettable stays in that place which
transmitted them unique sensations simply admiring the that incomparable lush
Mediterranean vegetation with a fan of fabulous tonalities, a site simply true,
genuine and also different than the equally charming Cannes, Saint-Tropez and
Antibes more sophisticated, glitzy and glamorous but probably with less natural
appeal.
That centre is very famous for its typical flora
and plants and since centuries ago for the iconic local cultivation of lemons
considered among the most tastefully of the Northern Mediterranean basin and
awarded in the ranking of high quality with a reputation which conquered
the appreciation of many markets in the world.
Due to the presence of such important product the town
celebrates every year in the month of February,
the emblematic Fête des Citrons, the Feast of Lemons in the wonderful Jardins
de Biovés which is considered among the most beautiful gardens of the entire
Côte D´Azur, a little wonderful heaven consisting in a gardened surface highlighted
by several rows of lemon trees combined with a fabulous wide variety of
different flowers, eucalyptus and bordered by exotic palm trees.
That town offers a notable calendar of events and
different kind of cultural proposals, excellent accommodations satisfying all
the most demanding requests and great communications, all features which make
that French destination a site highly desired by many visitors as a golden
haven for stupendous holidays but also for fascinating short breaks.
Loved by many visitors fond about water sports, that
seaside town is also a great start point for radial visits and excursions with
all the wonders of the French Riviera in its immediate proximity but also
offering the opportunity to explore and enjoy the picturesque and romantic Provence
another outstanding attraction with landscapes absolutely sublime.
The scenic Italian region of
Liguria is so
close and inviting with the wonderful Riviera dei Fiori, the
coast of the flowers with the fascination of the emblematic Sanremo and
including the marvellous Parc Natural du
Mercantour, a wonderful protected nature reserve situated at north and not
far and it is a gateway to the striking Alps.
A superb gastronomy is a further highlight with a
local cuisine which offers the best in terms of flavours and delights with
an ample variety of fine recipe characterised by the aromas of fresh herbs
and homemade recipe in the high elite of the most refined culinary art of that
land and in addition you will also find a wide selection of wines of great
reputation.
The very kind and nice locals is another remarkable
aspect, people with a very high sense of hospitality and as detail many of them
continue to speak the old Mentounasc, that
language inherited by the ancestors with many affinities to the Niçoise but also
with some linguistic links to the Genoese and Ligurian dialects keeping a
strong and marked Occitan identity.
The proximity of Italy and historic relationships are
very visible, in architecture, culture and also cuisine, many centuries lived
with many things in common did not delete those ties which still are alive
nowadays.
The local history is very ancient with a secular great
past so rich of events and important phases and the current town was originally
an ancient Celtic settlement populated later by the Ligurians who
were the direct descendants of those former settlers who established in that
land a small village.
The name of that municipality since a long time opened
several debates with many opinions and suppositions by eminent historians, a
first version is that originally all is linked to those Gaelic tribes and the
current name derives from the word Ment meaning
stone, another one is from a Latin origin and it is a hypothesis closely
related to a Roman settler called Mento.
It is true that the Romans in Latin language
denominated Podium Pinum, a hill overlooking the former village but it
was a name for a specific area consisting in that height and not of the
settlement so the mysteries and further researches will continue.
In the following centuries, that centre became a
relevant point of transit during the times of the Imperial Rome when it was
inserted on the route of the ancient road Julia Augusta leading to Nice
and later connected to the iconic Consular Road Via
Aurelia leading to Pisa crossing
all the Northwestern Italic Mediterranean coast.
The first official settlement which appeared in the medieval
maps in the 13th century was founded by a Ligurian noble including with the
construction of a castle erected on that mentioned hilly plateau who was
renamed in Italian language Poggio del Pino which
translated means
low hill of the pine later also called Pepino, a sort
of abbreviation and dialectal form and around that manor arouse a small
centre.
That building was also the residence of an
aristocratic Genoese family called Vento and
incorporated in the
Marine Republic of Genoa until 1346 when Charles Grimaldi one
of the first characters of the dynasty which made the fortune and gave prestige
to the
Principality of Monaco bought that land which remained linked to that noble
House for over 500 years, exactly until 1848 with also an integration to France
after the famous Revolution and the establishment of the Republic in the
late 18th century.
For a brief period the town was also a protectorate as
free city of the Duchy
of Savoy future
Royalty of Piedmont and Sardinia and later of Italy and incorporated in the
County of Nice until
1859 but despite the proximity of the reunification of Italy which
took place just one year later after treaties and meetings Menton
was integrated in the French Republic.
The Savoy Royal House despite several disputes and
battles with its motherland France treated to keep diplomatic relationships
with that huge and powerful European State, sometimes pretty tense highlighted
by intolerance in other cases more open to a dialogue.
For their French heritage and also for the reasons
above mentioned the Savoy decided to renounce to France and those nobles also
lost the nearest Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, two years later with a treaty
reconfirming that in occasion of the famous Plombieres agreements
between France and Italy.
After about 80 years of peace during the 2nd
World War, the town was occupied for a short period by Italian troops,
all that happened linked to famous diatribes and disputes linked to borders
which also included other territories as Nice and the Cottian Alps lands which
were often causes and epicentres of claims from one side and another in the
case of France which claimed territories of Piedmont and Aosta Valley.
After that war the resort started to be once again a
favourite heaven for artists, tourists and people who wanted to enjoy a mild
climate, sunny beaches all year and forgetting clashes and wars starting a new
peaceful era.
Before and after that event famed artists such as Jean
Cocteau, Vicente Blasco Ibañez and Aubrey Beardsley fell in
love with that resort and decided to establish their residences in that
fascinating town of the Côte D´Azur and also another distinguished figure as William
Webb Ellis the inventor of one the most traditional and historic British
sports the Rugby lived and dies in Menton.
Next to those popular characters a further long list
of other notorious people chose that diamond of the French Riviera as favourite
destinations for sojourns and long stays and some of them were the French painters
Emile Appay, Irene Lagut, the Danish Architect Hans Georg
Tersling and the Irish architect Eileen Gray among others.
Including several aristocratic families linked to the Royal
Italian Family spent holidays and periods of relaxation in that beautiful
corner of French Côte D´Azur despite it was a land lost for those famous
historic events.
The centre of Menton is very charming with picturesque
narrow streets and scenic alleys, characterised by the coloured ochre and light
red facades of its houses, cosy small restaurants established descending
towards the harbour and a great presence of historic monuments scattered all
around its living and beating heart.
Despite it is not a metropolis that municipality has a
vast and rich patrimony with a good number of relevant Churches and notable
buildings considered of great interest and some of them were declared French
National Patrimony.
One of them is one of the most beautiful Baroque
Churches of the entire Côte D´Azur and Southern France, a place I suggest
you to start your visit ad it is the Basilique de Saint Michel Archange,
a splendid construction dedicated to St. Michael Archangel and it is definitely
one of the emblematic local symbols.
Established in a very scenic point with its charming
bell tower dominating a group of scenic houses and overlooking the captivating
harbour, that sacred temple was built over a previous Church in the early 17th
century by Lorenzo Lavagna an architect of Ligurian Family and the style
of that masterpiece is a sublime hymn to the Italian Genoese Baroque school.
Characterised by a high front side with niches
containing statues of Saints on its two levels, the facade is furthermore
highlighted by fine decorations and lines with the presence of refined ionic
and Corinthian columns.
Beautiful is also the bell tower flanking the central
body of the Basilica, a work by the architect Emmanuel Cantone dating
back 1701, the layout is in addition embellished by pilasters, relevant lesenes
well balanced and dividing the spaces of the facade and one of the main
highlight is undoubtedly the upper section with a stylish turret fixed on a
square base surrounded by pinnacles and surmounted by a beautiful cupola topped
by a cross.
The interior is a Latin cross with three wide naves
and the highlights are definitely a splendid marble altarpiece with an image
depicting St. Michael killing a dragon, a work dated 1820. Other masterpieces
are beautiful marble pilasters, splendid Baroque decorations all around the
central nave and the apse and a majestic arcade with refined stuccoes.
That outstanding construction thanks to its unique and
acoustic hosts since many years ago the Festival of Classic Music and it
is today one of the most visited monuments of the Côte D´Azur.
Another important Religious construction is
the´Église de St, Jean l´Evangeliste which was erected in the second
half of the 19th century and sadly damaged by a earthquake just 21 years
after its construction.
Dedicated to St. John the Evangelist it was elevated
on an ample rectangular base in a splendid Neo-Gothic architectonic style, it
never had a restoration apart one in occasion of the mentioned earthquake
and it contains a relevant Virgin shrine dated 1875.
It is also called Église Anglicaine, the
Anglican Church because seat of that community, some fine details which worth
are its large gable roof covering the entire nave and a beautiful stained glass
windows on the main facade reflecting in a loyal representation the traditional
English style.
The Chapelle de la Immaculée Conception is a
future artistic attraction, it is a Chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the
Conception and it was probably built according to historic information on the
remnants of a previous Church and it is also called Chapel of the white
penitents because it hosted that order during its history.
Erected in the 17th century and restored in the late
19th century, the facade has excellent Baroque decorations and stuccoes. It
remained intact during the second war despite some bombings in the immediate
vicinity, it had not damages and it was declared National Patrimony and
Monument of Historic Interest of France and in 1987 it had
some works of the renovations.
Le Port de Menton, the local
harbour is an ideal place to admire the historic centre and the silhouette of
the Basilique de Saint Michel Archange from a different magnificent and
scenic perspective and enjoying along its banks a very pleasant promenade.
The port you can see today was developed the early
17th century by the Grimaldi Family, exactly by order of Honoré II
Prince of Monaco to defend the town.
It’s very pleasant and relaxing atmosphere
enjoying the Mediterranean coast and the view of the local gulf makes that
place an usual meeting point of locals and very loved by a multitude of
tourists any time, the cool Mediterranean breeze especially at evening looking
at the several boats coming from the sea and all illuminated by artificial
lights is a further attraction.
That harbour is also used for different purposes such
as tourism, sailing and also fishing despite the latter is an activity not very
developed as in the past and it is definitely one of the most scenic and
splendid post cards of the resort.
The nearest beautiful Quai Napoleeon III is one
of the favourite tourist maritime promenade and another point very suggested is
the Pier Eugeníe Imperatrice which is also a romantic and peaceful view
point on Menton bay facing the old town.
At Bastion Du Port in the fortress built in the
17th century characterised by its strong defencive walls and bastions you can
visit the Jean Cocteau Museum.
Jean Cocteau was a polyvalent and eclectic artist also
filmmaker, writer, poet, novelist, a very distinguished figure, friend of
prominent artists as Pablo Picasso he was also an excellent painter
and the museum with his name boasts a wide collection of that superb figure.
The exhibition displays tapestries, ceramic, paintings
and drawings all works of relevant value and simply impressive. Cocteau was
particularly famous for his creative mind, a bohemian artist, very instinctive
with a notable imagination and with an innate sense and talent of the
improvisation, well known because he could paint without schemes and study of
perspectives.
In addition to those superb qualities he was
considered one of the most distinguished pioneers and exponents of that
movement called Avant Garde art which
influenced many French and European artists in the early 20th century.
(In the case you are interested he made some works in Villefranche-sur-Mer and
I wrote a post regarding that other Côte D´ Azur resort)
In Quai Monleón you can see the Marché
Couvert de Menton, the Covered Market designed by the Architect Adrien
Rey at the end of the 19th century which is in its kind another local
landmark.
The idea of the municipality was to establish
something really useful and efficient to protect and keeping cool the foods of the
vendors such as cheeses, meat and vegetables.
Rey in his project had the brilliant idea to use
different kinds of materials such as red bricks, wooden ravens a wide variety
of metals and including ceramic.
The result of that type of structure was a sort of
mosaic and a mixture of varied elements but the final result was a splendid
stylish building with a beautiful coloured facade, a small scenic cupola placed
on the top of the roof and four small neoclassical columns placed in the
layout of the front side.
In the upper section of the facade was fixed the
Municipal Coat of Arms with a circular space with inside a date 1898 corresponding
to the year when started the construction.
Some details, decorations and use of determinate tiles
on the walls give that market something vaguely similar to the Andalusian
Mudejar style or partially related to the Modernisme for
some details and lines and all that was a kind of outstanding work by a
creative mind who made something unique in its kind in that corner of Southern
France.
Close to the Market you can reach Place Aux Herbes,
the Square of the Herbs, a great urban example of style and elegance, with a
neoclassic colonnade and a fountain.
That square is also a charming passage to have access
to some other attractive areas of that French coastal centre as the glamorous Rue
de la République and Avenue Riviera famous for their magnificent and
elegant palaces.
In all that urban section you can enjoy the charm
and the architectonic contrast between the beautiful old city just 10 minutes
away and you will meet the more classic and modern Menton showing another
equally attractive reality.
The Hotel de Ville, the City Hall
is a particularly important construction for a famous masterpiece by Jean Cocteau
who painted the Salles de Marriages, the Weddings Hall.
It was a work commissioned by the former Major
Francis Palmero who asked that famed artist to create with his talent
something of very attractive to embellish the interior of that building.
The painter accepted and he made one of his most
important and notable works reproducing with a magnificent painting the Mythological
Greek Tragedy with protagonists Orpheus and Eurydice, a great
masterpiece that only a genius as Jean Cocteau could think and paint.
The Cimetière de Vieux Château, the old
Cemetery of the Old Castle is famous to host the tombs of famous people who
lived in that town such as Webb Ellis the inventor of the Rugby, Tersling the
famous Danish Architect and also those of many British and Russian aristocrats
died in Menton.
That site is situated on the top of a hill with
offering a beautiful view towards the Ligurian promontory of Punta Mortola and
that place is considered one of the most panoramic view points of the entire
French Riviera.
Another highlight of that magnificent town is
undoubtedly the Orthodox Church founded by the Russian Orthodox
Association of St. Anastasia, wife of the Duke of Meckelburg and it
is situated in the neighbourhood of Camole.
The French Riviera has always been one of the
favourite destinations for Russian colonies, there are other Churches along the
Côte D´Azur, the most important is of course the Orthodox Cathedral in Nice
but there are others in Antibes and Saint Raphael.
The style of that Religious construction is pretty
peculiar in its kind for its architectural canons and also a bit unusual; in
many aspects very different than the traditional Russian architecture you can
see in that country.
Apart the splendid blue Byzantine Cupola dominating a
wonderful citrons garden, with lemons, oranges and olive groves which is a
great attraction, that building was developed in a mixture of the styles of St.
Petersburg and Moscow schools as a sort of reunification concepts and
inspirations.
Some architectonic lines are sinuous following the
traditional style others are pretty sober and austere and all that because such
work was not by a Russian architect but by the talented Danish artist Hans
Georg Tersling a, superb master who was able to combine with his skills
styles and a kind of art which was not his favourite kind of style.
That white building erected on an irregular
rectangular plan has a wide arched doorway with ogival reliefs, notable is the
fantastic perspective of the front side elevated on two blocks with decorated
outlines and two scenic pinnacles on the sides of a central turret covered by
the beautiful onion dome.
That Sacred building respects in its interior the
style of Byzantine inspiration and traditions in perspectives, spaces and
arrangement of the apse with the presence splendid icononostasis and paintings
covering the walls, works by the famous romantic and classic painter
Karil Brioullov from St. Petersburg.
That Orthodox Church had some restoration for more
than one decade due to the damages provoked by the 2nd World War and today it
shows all its splendour and it is for its scenic appearance one of the
monuments most photographed in that French town.
It was consecrated by the Patriarch of the
Cathedral of Nice and it is among the most visited and venerated by the
Russian Orthodox community resident in France and since some decades ago it
became a relevant pilgrimage destination and it is nicknamed La Maison Russe,
the Russian House.
The municipality hosts in the charming Palais
Carnòles a very interesting Museum the Musée des Beaux-Arts,
the Museum of fine Arts. That palace is also very famous because it was the
former official summer residence of Grimaldi Family and home of an iconic
figure of that House, the first Prince of Monaco, Antoine I.
That great exhibition displays a collection of
distinguished painters such as Delvaux, Dufy, Gleizes and in particular Ludovico Brea,
an artist born in Nice, a very talented painter famous for different works also
in the city of Genoa and Monaco. Another highlight of that place is the
beautiful citrus garden containing different kind of sculptures and it
worth a visit.
Close to that museum you can enjoy a great promenade
along Baie du Soleil,
the bay just behind the harbour and where is also situated the Casino Barriere,
beautiful are the views towards the Mediterranean along that long waterfront
and next to that venue you can also enjoy a beach.
If you want to be delighted by other stunning images I
suggest you to reach Cap Martin which
is situated at just 600, 0 metres from that the Museum and on that spectacular
and ample sharp headland you will be enchanted by other striking panoramic
views to remember for a long time and to immortalise in several pictures.
In the case you want to visit another gallery, I
recommend you another exhibition very interesting and it is the Musée
Municipal de Prehistoire. It is among the most important in Southern France
because it contains human rests of the Paleolithic era, something unique
in the entire Region and furthermore you can also admire some examples of
very ancient rupestrian sculptures unique in the country.
The town is packed by charming and majestic palaces
and worth to be mentioned some of them as the Palais de l´Europe, the
Palace of Europe designed by the architect Hans Georg Tersling, the author of the
Orthodox Church.
That splendid building was the former Casino Kursal
of Menton, its majestic aspect and in particular the elegant facade are a
remarkable highlight of the Grandeur of Menton in the early 20th century
and it is considered one of the most shining masterpieces of that talented
artist who linked in that work Neo-classical, renaissance and modern lines in
total harmony.
Of the same period you can admire another mansion
called Villa Tempe Pailla, a work by the Irish Architect Eileen Gray,
an artist who loved the Côte D´Azur and she chose it as her residence. That
villa was declared in 1990 Historic Monument and it is considered one of
the most relevant contemporary works established in the municipality.
Menton is also very well known and appreciated for its
several beautiful
beaches you immediately meet coming in the resort, from the side of
Ventimiglia coming from the Italian border and from the opposite side from Nice
and Monaco as that one next to the Casino Barriere.
The local coast forms a broad arch, packed by a
marvellous lush Mediterranean vegetation, lemon trees, olive groves and
maritime pines really splendid a divine hymn of fascinating colours of a unique
Mediterranean coast so attractive for its lights, reflections and natural
contrasts along those stretches creating a scenery of a divine attraction.
One of the most famed is undoubtedly Plage Hawaii,
Hawaii beach, well known because it started to be frequented by several people
in the 60s and ideal site for water sports such as sailing and diving.
It is not very wide but very charming, enclosed
between some rocks it is easily accessible and it is located in a picturesque
small natural bay and it is also very scenic because it is dominated by a
stupendous rocky hilly just behind it and loved by many people for its tiny
space and high waves.
Another one very famous is Plage de Sablettes
that beach today shows a sandy aspect despite in the past it was rocky and wild
and covered by pebbles.
In 1969, it had a transformation and it beach
totally changed aspect, it was covered by sand and in the 70s it became
one of the beaches more frequented by tourists in particular from Great Britain
and it is particularly appreciated for its proximity to the town and you can
directly reach in an easy way the Church of St. Michael by a staircase.
Plage Rondelli is a further
one situated in the neighbourhood of Garavan, a place in which is also
situated Gare de Menton -Garavan the railway Station and it is a long
sandy stretch offering a very access and in its proximity there are some bars
and restaurants.
That area is famous for its agricultural activities
thanks to the mild temperature all year, the local micro climate permits to
cultivate apart the emblematic lemons and citrons also tropical and
semi-tropical fruit with excellent productive results.
The coast from Bordighera to Menton including Ventimiglia
and other approximately 20, 0 kilometres of that coastline between the Côte
D´Azur and the Riviera dei Fiori is a Mecca for divers so if you love that kind
of activity is an excellent incentive.
That coast offers superb sea beds, it is very deep
with excellent visibility characterised furthermore by high vertical rocky
walls and ideal for experienced divers.
Jardin Fontana Rosa is another
special attraction and a mandatory during the visit, you are in Southern France
but when you will visit that place you will have an immediate impression to
be in Spain, in a garden of Seville or Granada.
That marvellous gardened space was an inspiration by
the Spanish writer Vicente Blasco Ibañez very famous for his famed work Sangre
y Arena. That Iberian artist lived and died in the town where he
marked an important stage of his artistic life.
That garden is situated not far from Plage Rondelli
and it is also called Le Jardin de
Romanciers, the garden of the novelists. The Spanish writer started to
develop that space in which also built his house with a bit of nostalgia of his
birthplace Valencia with works which began in 1922.
That place is a hymn to the most classical and fascinating
Iberian environment with ceramic benches and areas decorated with tiles and
some details linked to the typical Andalusian Mudejar style and the
environment is highlighted by fig, banana and palm trees, rosebushes, many
species of flowers and some tropical plants.
You can visit that place asking the Cultural Heritage
Service which will fix you a visit. The mansion was sold by the son of writer
to the municipality in 1970, very scenic is the entrance of the complex, over
the gate were placed on the facade traditional painted tiles portraits
depicting Balzac, Cervantes and Dickens and beneath them floral themes.
Inside there are also the busts of those three great
artists with that of Shakespeare who were all characters source of inspirations
for the Iberian writer.
The villa is characterised by a long staircase, series
of columns and pillars, it also has an aquarium and a pergola and the house
contains different rooms among them a library, a studio and a meeting &
movie lounge.
That place was often frequented by Jean Cocteau and it
was the site in which Blasco Ibañez created one of his most important works, Mare
Nostrum, a notorious spy novel with main protagonist the events of the 1st
World War filmed in 1926.
Parc of Marie Serene is another
green local lung of immense beauty. It is a superb typical Mediterranean park
packed by palm trees and it contains a majestic building called Villa Marine
Serene, a work by the great Parisian architect Charles Garnier who
also designed the Montecarlo Opera and Monaco Palais Garnier.
That talented architect elevated in that park also a
splendid mansion for Ferdinand De Lesseps, a famous French Diplomat
developer of the Suez Canal in Egypt.
Another gem which worth a visit is the magnificent Val
Rameh Menton Jardin Botanique. That Botanical Garden is one of the natural
jewels of Menton, it boasts an endless number of plants and trees from
different countries and continents many of them coming from Oceania, the Far
East, South America, Middle East, Mediterranean area and Asia.
That place is a festival of stupendous and fascination
colours for all that exotic combination of plants and it was opened in 1930 by
some British residents and today after the addition of other several
plantations it is one of the most complete gardens in its kind of the entire
Southern France.
As destination of prominent people in the past
and favourite destination for many people today, the resort offers excellent
accommodations and very stylish Hotels.
Some of the architects who lived in that French
Riviera town as the famed and talented previously mentioned Tersling decided to
build charming palaces, villas but also Hotels. That Scandinavian genius built
some Hotels in the Côte d´Azur such as the famous Hotel Métropole of Monaco,
the Grand Hotel Du Cap-Martin and in Menton he designed the beautiful Hotel
Impérial.
Another beautiful one is the famous Hotel Riviera,
a very impressive work by the architects Abel and Marsang, a sort
of Belle Époque Parisian building erected in the French Riviera and also for
that unique in its kind.
The scenery of Menton is absolutely unique and it
inspired many filmmakers from all around the world. Undoubtedly the most
important movie filmed with set that resort was Never Say Never Again
that unforgettable spy film produced in 1983 well known to be the James Bond
novel Thunderball written by Ian Fleming.
That American-British production starring Sean
Connery, Kim Basinger and Max Von Sydow with other notorious actors
used the streets, the old town and the roads of the Côte d´Azur in the
municipality for that famous masterpiece after a selection which included
several other famous resorts.
Other filmmakers such as the French Directors as Philippe
Leotard and Jacques Doillon chose Menton for famous movies such as Chambre
17 and Bag of Marbles and also the Italian Nanni Moretti
selected the local beach Plage de la Sablette for his movie La Stanza del
Figlio the Son´s Room.
When you are in Menton another suggestion is to enjoy
brilliant excursions along the Corniche. La Grande Corniche, La Moyenne
Corniche and La Basse Corniche are three natural strings of high hills crossed
by scenic roads overlooking the coast offering the tourists unforgettable
views, ideal places to complete a panoramic tourism in that corner of France
and taking an infinite number of pictures.
Local cuisine is really delicious thanks to the
different influences received from the Provençal, Niçóise and Ligurian
gastronomies.
Fish is naturally one of the main highlights prepared in different styles such
as grilled, fried and baked.
The Filet de Daurade is a very typical plate,
an exquisite sea bass and very famous is the Salad Niçoise that
delicious recipe highlighted by fresh tomato, olives, hard eggs, tuna,
anchovies and dressed with a delicious aromatic vinaigrette. Also served
in many local restaurants is the famed Bouillabaisse that well known
tastefully fish soup.
The typical and traditional local plate is the Socca,
similar to a Farinata prepared according the ancient tradition, it is a
sort of pancake prepared with chickpeas, extra virgin olive oil, flour, salt
and pepper.
A further recipe very traditional is the Soup ou
Pistou, a kind of minestrone containing garlic, a notable quantity of
basil, different kind of vegetables and olive oil and furthermore you can enjoy
the delicious Ratatouille and the Pissaladiere a kind of Focaccia
flavoured by fresh anchovies and olives and another delight is the Tarte a
la Courge a delectable cake filled by courgettes.
The wines are as in all the rest of France really
excellent you can taste different kind of fine products such as Bandol,
Cassis and Bellet, wines of high class and prestige which are among
the most famous of a long and endless list ready to satisfy the most exigent
palates.
The resort is situated at just 30, 0 kilometres from Nice
Côte D´Azur International Airport and in less than 40 minutes driving
by E80
Motorway in direction Ventimiglia-Italy you will be at destination. From
Nice Airport there is also the service Shuttle Bus Airport Express
directed to Monaco-Montecarlo-Menton.
A great stay in that resort if you are planning
holidays in France and concretely in Côte D´Azur is always a superb and great
choice. In that town not too big and not too small you can breathe the
real and true atmosphere of the Eastern French Riviera enjoying a place which
in all its splendour will enchant you.
Menton with its fascinating colours conquers
everybody, it is something of unforgettable returning home there is always
something of extremely unique in your memories once left that place, that
unique Mediterranean golden haven always leaves marks, those of
unforgettable and enjoyable days spent admiring indelible images of marvellous
holidays.
Francesco Mari
Recommended
Hotels in Menton
Hotel Lemon
Hotel Napoleon
Hotel Le Bamoral French Riviera
Hotel
Palm Garavan
Hotel Des Londres
Hotel Riva
Recommended Restaurants
in Menton
Restaurant Mirazur
Restaurant Cote Sud
Restaurant La Mandragore
Restaurant Belle Escale
Restaurant Table D´Oc
Restaurant
A Braijade Meridiounale
Restaurant
Le Bistrot de Jardins
Useful links
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Thanks a lot to read and note.