Menton

Menton is located on the Italian border and exhibits the same quiet and aristocratic flair of Cannes and Antibes. The city earned its name through Mr. Bennett, a doctor who, thanks to the mild climate here, managed to cure his tuberculosis. He wrote a book about it and thus Menton became famous.

Menton is close to many beautiful gardens, one of the most famous and worth seeing is the Jardin des Colombières, developed by Napolean’s great nephew Ferdinand Bac (1859-1952) and displays a typical youthful exuberance as it is full of exotic plants from around the world. Visitation is only possible by reservation, which can be done at Service du Patrimoine 24, rue du St. Michel, Tel. 0492103366. Another worthy garden is the Jardins Biovès in the city center. The Carei River used to flow through here until 1899, when due to its frequent flooding was filled in and in its place the garden was planted. Another fantastic garden is the Jardin Botanique Exotique on the Boulevard De Garavan as it too displays exotic plantlife.

The Hôtel du Ville, the current town hall used to be a casino and theater. Here you can see the Salle de Mariages (the civil registry office) which was designed by the famous artist Jean Cocteau(open Mo-Fr 8:30am – 12:30pm, 1:30pm – 5:00pm, closed holidays)

If you would like to see more works of art by Jean Cocteau there is the musuem in his honor at the old harbor, the Quai Napoleon III. The Musée Jean Cocteau is open Wed – Mon. from 10am-12pm and from 2pm – 6pm(closed on holidays).

If you would prefer artifacts to art, then the Musée Regional (same opening times as the Musée Jean Cocteau) in the Rue Larchey has many prehistoric and archealogical artifacts on display on its bottom floor.

If you happen to be taking a leisurely stroll through the old town, be sure to make the the palace from the 15th-18th century on the Rue Longue a waypoint. Another great stop is the Parvis St. Michel from the 17th century, which was the largest church of its time, the diocese Monaco-Ventimiglia. The chamber music festival is held here annually in August.

Right near St. Michel is the Chapelle de la Conception, which was the original house of prayer of the Pénitents Blancs (The Order of White Brothers).

A collection of Wakefield-Mori is on display at the Palais Carnolès (Wed – Mon 10am-12pm, 2pm-6pm, closed holidays). The Wakefield-Mori were designed by the architects Robert de Cotte and Jaques-Anges Gabriel for the Grimaldi prince Antoine I.

One week before fat Tuesday the annual Fête du Citron (www.feteducitron.com) takes place. During this festival there are parades with creatively made floats out of oranges and lemons as well as many other fun activities.