Although our blog is “Tuscan Adventure” we do venture further afield. Switzerland and France especially the Cote Azur are only round the corner, up past Genova and keep heading west.
Last week we decided to visit Menton, just along the coast from the Italian border. And with good cause as they currently have their “Fête du Citron”. There is a micro climate around Menton which is ideal for citrus and this is a celebration of their produce.
A number of parades are held through the streets on the seafront with stands erected for viewing. Given the timing the Thursday evening parade worked well.
We were advised that parking is a nightmare so we drove to Genova and took trains to Menton. No direct route as you change from Italian to French rail network at Ventimiglia. Uber worked well and the town is small enough to walk across.
The old town is nestled along a hillside with three/four story buildings with narrow lanes. Definitely no cars. The colour theme is shades of yellow, orange and ocher with some dusky pink.
Opposite the Ville Hotel there is the park. Within the theme of Voyages étoiles, there are displays primarily made with oranges and lemons. The scale is impressive. We particularly liked the girl’s expression. Beautifully done.
Obviously oranges and lemons are center stage. The pictures below give some sense of what’s grown. Some of the lemons are massive and the oranges are juicy and sweet. The Menton lemons are renowned for their sweet, edible skins too – delicious. During one of the garden visits, I had fresh bergamot for the first time. Almost a cross between a lemon and an orange, the scent is a prized ingredient in the perfume industry.
William Webb-Ellis
New Zealander’s are well known in Menton – the town is a pilgrimage for rugby fans with the founder of rugby, William Webb-Ellis buried in the cemetery overlooking the Med. Where else would you see French men wearing Adidas track pants and Canterbury sweatshirts! Apparently all touring All Black teams come to the town to pay their respects to Webb-Ellis.
Katherine Mansfield
There is another NZ connection in Menton, none other than Katherine Mansfield. Beauchamp She lived here and her house is now a cultural monument. NZ writers also frequented the town in days gone by and often stayed at the house. We of course have further connections to Mansfield, as she attended Fitzherbert School, which later moved to Karori and become ‘Samuel Marsden Collegiate School’ , and living on ‘Beauchamp St’ in Karori which was named after the Beauchamp family and where they located to from Thorndon for the country air.
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