Sunday

35. Menton - the old town

Menton is a beautiful town right on the French side of the border with Italy. Its climate is exceptionally mild. It is reputed to be the warmest place on the Côte d'Azur in winter - a subtropical microclimate.

These photos take us on a walk through the old town, starting at the main Place in the lower part. There can be found many cafes, restaurants and shops. The streets then wind upwards until you are rewarded with the most beautiful views over the port, beaches, town and Italy.

For views and tours of Menton every day of the year, visit Jilly's blog: Menton Daily Photo.



Below: In the main square, there are lots of restaurants and cafes, a great place to rest after a walk, or get the energy to set off.

Below: And the location of a terrific restaurant, Le Balico

Below: Another great place for a rest
Below: Oops! Road blocked! Jilly says that work has been going on in the main street through the old town for many months.
Below: The main church of Menton, Eglise Saint-Michel is on the right side of this place, which looks over the port and beach. That's Italy in the distance. In August there is a music festival held in this Place. The mosaic paving depicts the coat of arms of the Grimaldi family (the royal family of Monaco, who once held much more vast territories) Below: A lovely house of the old town
Below: Lots of rooftops
Below: Terracotta rooftops, so typical of the Mediterranean. Australia is another country which adopted terracotta for roofing houses, especially in the early 20th century. Our house in sSydney has Marseilles tiles, shaped differently, but similar colour.
Below: Roofing work underway.

Below: Views of the port and towards Italy
Below: The steeples of two churches in the old town. The taller one is Saint-Michel
Below: The cemetery in the old town is the final resting place of many foreigners who came to Menton for their final years. One famous Permanent Resident is William Webb Ellis, who is credited (probably spuriously) with inventing the game of Rugby.



Below: The cemetery can be seen on the upper level at the right




1 comment:

Jilly said...

Sally, I've just found this blog - by clicking on your profile. Fabulous photos of Menton - just love them.