Menton

Menton sits in a bowl of mountains right against the Italian border, sheltered from the north, and the microclimate lets citrus and subtropical plants grow that fail elsewhere on the coast; several botanical gardens exploit it, including the Val Rahmeh and the Serre de la Madone. The Fete du Citron, running since the 1930s, builds huge figures and floats covered in lemons and oranges, using well over a hundred tonnes of fruit across two weeks in February. The old town rises in ochre tiers to a cemetery with a view, and Jean Cocteau decorated the wedding hall and has a museum on the seafront.

History

The Menton area has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic and is the site of the "Grimaldi Man" finds, and the Roman Via Julia Augusta from Piacenza to Arles ran along what is now the Rue Longue. The first real settlement came in the 11th century, when the count of Ventimiglia built the castle of Puypin, and in the 13th century the Genoese Vento family built a new castle on the Roman road, around which the town grew; Menton is first mentioned on 21 July 1262, in a peace treaty between Charles of Anjou and Genoa. Charles Grimaldi, Lord of Monaco, acquired it in 1346, and the princes of Monaco ruled it until the Revolution; in 1848 Menton and Roquebrune broke away from Monaco, partly over a tax on lemon exports, and after the Treaty of Turin of 1860 and a plebiscite the town became part of France, the prince of Monaco renouncing his rights for 4 million francs in 1861 (Wikipedia, Menton).

The main sights

• The lemon festival - large sculptures built from citrus fruit each February.
• The botanical gardens - subtropical collections in a sheltered microclimate.
• The ochre old town - tiered facades climbing to the cemetery terrace.
• The Cocteau rooms - the decorated wedding hall and seafront museum.

When to go

February for the Fete du Citron, which is the town's defining event and fills accommodation. Otherwise April to October, with gardens best in spring.

Good to know

Festival crowds are heavy and grandstand seats are ticketed and sell out. Outside February the town is quiet and older in feel than the rest of the Riviera. Gardens keep limited opening days.

Nearby

The Italian border is a short walk east; Monaco lies west.

Key facts