Menton

The seaside landscape of Menton is on the far south of the French Mediterranean, and hugs the Mediterreans Sea and skirts Italian soil. Some say that the town exemplifies a lifestyle that is more Italian than French, due to to closeness to the Italian border.
With a milder climate than the rest of the Riviera, the Bay of Mentone has a welcoming effect on visitors seeking to enjoy its sea breezes.

Previously part of the city-state of Monaco until 1848 when it declared itself a free city and becoming part of France after a plebiscite in 1860, Menton has a glorious history that is part of its understated charm.
In its hilltop terrain above shore is the part of the town inaccessible to wheeled vehicles, complete with a military castle that clings to the mountain face. Its Rennaisance roots are evident in the 16th Century fort fiercely overlooking its harbor as well as a sedate and calming 17th Century Baroque church.

Known as "The Lemon Party Capital of the World," Menton is famous for the Fête du Citron, a lemon festival that celebrate the harvest in February. The town of Mentone offers a climate conducive to plantations of lemons, olives and pine, which rise in successive stages on surrounding mountain slopes. An abundant producer of lemons, an average of 40 million fruit is produced yearly by the region.

Visitors and locals alike are regaled by the art and culture preserved at the Jean Cocteau Museum near the port, which houses drawings, ceramics, tapestries and a large mosaic by the artist, as well as at the Salle des Marriage, civic wedding hall whose murals were also by Cocteau.

French Property