Menton is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes Department in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Situated on the French Riviera, it is nicknamed la perle de la France
("The Pearl of France").
read full wikipedia reference about Menton, France
• Arrival
And Information
• Dining
And Drinking
Of all the Côte d'Azur
resorts, MENTON - the warmest and most Italianate, being
within a couple of kilometres of the border - is the one that
retains an atmosphere of aristocratic tourism, being even more
of a rich retirement haven than Nice. It doesn't go in for the ostentatious
wealth of Monaco nor the creativity cachet of Cannes and some hilltop towns, but glories
chiefly in its climate and year-round lemon crops. It's ringed
by protective mountains, so hardly a whisper of wind disturbs
this suntrap of a city; you'll notice the difference in winter,
when you'll need a change of clothes between here and the exposed
central resorts.
The promenade du Soleil
runs along the pebbly beachfront of Menton's aptly named Baie
du Soleil, stretching from the quai Napoléon-III past
the casino towards Roquebrune. The most diverting building on
the front is a seventeenth-century fort by the quai Napoléon-III
south of the old port, now the Musée Jean Cocteau (Wed-Mon
10am-noon & 2-6pm), set up by the artist himself. It contains
pictures of his Mentonaise lovers in the Inamorati series, a
collection of delightful Fantastic Animals and the powerful tapestry
of Judith and Holofernes simultaneously telling the sequence
of seduction, assassination and escape. There are also photographs,
poems, ceramics and a portrait by his friend Picasso.
As the quai bends around
the western end of the Baie de Garavan from the Cocteau museum,
a long flight of black-and-white pebbled steps leads up into
the vieille ville to the Parvis St-Michel , an attractive Italianate
square hosting concerts during the summer and giving a good view
out over the bay. The frontage of the Église St-Michel
proclaims its Baroque supremacy in perfect pink and yellow proportions,
and a few more steps up to another square will reward you with
the beautiful facade of the chapel of the Pénitents-Noirs
in apricot-and-white marble, with pastel campaniles and disappearing
stairways between long-lived houses. The cemetery , at the very
top of the old town on the site once occupied by the town's château,
is low on gloom and high on panoramic views, and is a good place
to find yourself at sunset.
In the middle of the modern
town, the Salles des Mariages (Mon-Fri 8.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm),
or registry office, forms part of the Hôtel de Ville on
place Ardoiono and was decorated in inimitable style by Jean
Cocteau in 1957. It can be visited without matrimonial intentions
by asking the receptionist at the main door. On the wall above
the official's desk, a couple face each other with strange topological
connections between the sun, her headdress and his fisherman's
cap. A Saracen Wedding Party on the right-hand wall reveals a
disapproving mother of the bride, the spurned girlfriend of the
groom and her armed, revengeful brother among the cheerful guests.
On the left-hand wall is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice at
the moment when Orpheus has just looked back. Meanwhile, on the
ceiling are Poetry Rides Pegasus and tattered Science Juggles
with the Planets , and Love , open-eyed, waiting with bow and
arrow at the ready. Adding a little extra confusion, the carpet
is mock panther-skin.
On avenue de la Madone,
at the other end of the modern town, an impressive collection
of paintings from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century can
be seen in the Palais Carnolès (daily except Tues 10am-noon
& 2-6pm; free; bus #3), the old summer residence of the princes
of Monaco. Of the early works, the Madonna and Child with St
Francis by Louis Bréa is exceptional. The most recent
include canvases by Graham Sutherland, who spent some of his
last years in Menton.
If it's cool enough to
be walking outside, the public parks up in the hills and the
gardens of Garavan 's once elegant villas make a change from
shingle beaches. The best of all the Garavan gardens is Les Colombières
, just north of boulevard de Garavan (Mon-Fri 10am-noon &
3-5pm; but check first with the Service du Patrimoine, tel 04.93.35.32.83,
as it is sometimes closed for works; bus #8, direction "Bd
de Garavan", stop "Colombières"). Designed
by the artist Ferdinand Bac, they lead you through every Mediterranean
style of garden. There are staircases screened by cypresses;
balustrades to lean against for the soaring views through pines
and olive trees out to sea; fountains, statues and a frescoed
swimming pool. The rest of the year, you'll have to make do with
the public Parc du Pian , shaded by olive trees, nearer to the
vieille ville on the same bus route as Les Colombières,
and the Jardin Exotique (daily except Tues: June-Sept 10am-12.30pm
& 3-6pm; rest of year 10am-12.30pm & 2-5pm), both below
boulevard de Garavan.
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