WORDS & PICTURES: Abi Prowse
Amongst the glitz and the glamour of the French Riviera, with its sparking-white yachts and luxurious, sprawling hotels, lies Menton. A compact town perched on the very edge of the French border, Menton acts as the country’s gateway into Italy, the two cultures melting seamlessly into one within the walls of the city. Although home to both an elegant seafront casino and a picture-perfect marina, where sleek speedboats bob gently in the unfathomably blue water, Menton boasts a more modest air than other destinations along the Côte d’Azur. Its warm, rustic colour palette douses the shuttered houses in shades of deep red and sunshine yellow, splashes of pink and orange appearing from among the cluster of buildings; observing Menton from its promenade, the Quai Napoléon III, is reminiscent of watching a vibrant sunset.
Wandering through the narrow, shaded streets, you are struck by the city’s sense of community. Although a beloved tourist destination, Menton has never lost touch with its unique cultural blend; artisan ceramic boutiques sit opposite traditional pizzerias, greengrocers proudly displaying the locally-harvested lemons and oranges for which Menton is so famous. Away from the larger streets and squares, impossibly narrow alleyways form a warren of colourful tunnels through the city’s residential areas. Here, life continues as normal, even during the height of summer; locals hang their washing, tend to their plants, and soak in the crisp sea air from their windows. These houses, so quaint and traditional, could have been lifted from a picture book, their quiet courtyards the perfect respite from the strong sun.
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As you climb the cobbles up towards the Saint-Michel-Archange Basilica, don’t forget to glance back; Menton is set atop a hill beneath a striking mountain range, which frames the skyline with a hazy beauty. The city seems almost the very definition of Mediterranean culture in its architecture, its cuisine, and its way of life. Along the seafront, restaurants wrap their way around the promenade, their menus based – unsurprisingly – around freshly-caught fish, often marrying Italian methods with French flavours. In fact, Menton is often celebrated for its range of restaurants: a fact which seems inevitable within a city so heavily influenced by two of the world’s most highly-regarded cuisines. It is this unique identity which gives Menton its attraction, and which separates it from its neighbouring towns.
