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 perting 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; €3.05), 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; €1.53), 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 justify-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; €3.05; 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;€3.05), both below boulevard de Garavan.
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