Menton is a famous resort with interesting attractions, located on the Côte d’Azur in the French Riviera, near Nice. The city has a population of about 30,000 people. It is known for its mild maritime climate and upscale tourist infrastructure.
Top 8 attractions in Menton
Until the mid-19th century Menton (Mentona) belonged to Monaco, but then at the request of the inhabitants of the city it was ceded to France in exchange for the independence of Monaco. During World War II, the city was occupied by Mussolini’s troops.
Today Menton lives mainly in the tourism business, the city’s population is engaged in serving tourists. The French Riviera is the perfect place to stay because of its climate, nature, sights, service, etc.
Saint Michel Basilica
This temple was erected in the early 17th century on the site of an old church. The temple was built in the then fashionable Baroque style, considered a symbol of luxury and grandeur. On the Côte d’Azur, there are many towns with real architectural masterpieces.
The money to build this temple was collected by the citizens of Mentona from all over the world. In the 1980s the church was declared a basilica. Today it also has the status of a masterpiece of 17th-century architecture, located in the Old Town.
Every year, thousands of tourists come to the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. The St. Michael’s Church to admire the exquisite beauty of its architecture and interior decoration. Here you can see ancient icons, paintings by famous artists, mosaics, etc.
Botanical Garden of Val-Rame
It’s a great place to relax, a favorite of Mentona’s citizens and visitors. Families and children often come here to see the beautiful collection of exotic plants collected in the tropics and subtropics of our planet.
The botanical garden is famous for the fact that its staff managed to save many rare and endangered species of shrubs and trees, such as Japanese Sophora. Children love to feed the bright tropical fish in the pond, admire the butterflies and listen to the singing birds.
You can relax on the lawns of this garden all day long, and the little ones can run around on them. Be sure to bring your camera and camcorder to make a beautiful photo and video report about everything you see.
Lemon Festival
This wonderful holiday is held in Menton every year in the first two weeks of March to the delight of citizens and tourists. The center of the festival is the Bioves Garden. It creates tall structures decorated with lemons, etc. citrus fruits.
During this festival in early spring, the streets of beautiful Mentona are transformed and become especially festive, the whole city feels the joy and the arrival of spring, as it is with us on March 8.
During the festival in Menton there are concerts, shows, competitions for adults and children. Corteges decorated with lemon fruit drive along the city’s embankment. And the most interesting performance at the festival is the parade of fireworks.
Jacques Cocteau Museum
Cocteau was a famous French film director, artist and writer. His ardent admirer, businessman Wunderman from the United States, collected a collection of his artwork for many years, which he then donated to Mentone.
In addition to Cocteau’s works, the collection includes paintings by Matisse, Picasso and other artists of the early 20th century who worked in the Art Nouveau style. The city government decided to build a museum building for this collection.
The building has an original modern architecture, made in black and white colors. In the Jacques Cocteau Museum, on an area of almost 3,000 square meters, you can see paintings, film works, ceramics in the Art Nouveau style, etc.
Monument to victims of wars
This monument was erected in Menton on Victoire or Victory Square in the late 1920s in memory of all the natives of this Mediterranean town who died in all wars, including World War I.
The monument is a high column in the ancient style, on its top, as on a pedestal, is a bronze sculpture of a woman with wings, it symbolizes the victory. At the foot of the monument is a plaque with the names of the victims of the wars.
Russian House
At the end of the 19th century, the Russian Charitable Society, which provided assistance to our compatriots who were treated in Menton for wounds received in the wars, bought a four-story building to organize a tuberculosis sanatorium.
Around the sanatorium was laid out a beautiful garden, there are still growing orange and olive trees. Over time it was named “Russian House,” as. It was inhabited exclusively by Russian soldiers and officers.
Russian cemetery
No less famous in Menton and the Russian cemetery, opened here in the 80s of the 19th century. After World War I in the Russian Revolution, a large Russian colony was formed on the French Côte d’Azur.
Menton was home to the former Russian aristocracy, white officers, bourgeois and bourgeoisie from the Volga or the Urals. Many are buried on foreign shores, parted from Russia forever. The sight of such Russian cemeteries in Europe brings to mind Bunin’s stories.
Interestingly, near Mentona in the days of the Russian Empire there was a base of the Russian Navy. Naval officers from that base are also buried in this cemetery. It is interesting to wander here, remembering the tragic history of our homeland.
Old Town
Mentona was founded in the 13th century by the Genoese, then it became part of the Principality of Monaco, and in the 19th century the city came under French rule. The city’s long and complex history is reflected in its ancient architecture.
The old town is in the “Genoese” part of Mentona. These are the medieval narrow streets, the market square. If you go up one of the streets, at the top you can see the ancient Catholic Church of Saint Michel, a local religious monument.
