Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in

Mistralian norm The Mistralian norm is a linguistic norm for the Occitan language. It was first used in a published work by Joseph Roumanille in 1853, and then by Frédéric Mistral in 1854. Its aim is to make Provençal Occitan orthography more logical, relying ...

; it, Mentone ) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border. Menton has always been a frontier town. Since the end of the 14th century, it was on the border between County of Nice, held by the

Duke of Savoy The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at ...

, and

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...

. It was an exclave of the Principality of Monaco until the disputed French plebiscite of 1860, when it was added to France. It had been always a fashionable tourist centre with grand mansions and gardens. Its temperate Mediterranean climate is especially favourable to the citrus industry, with which it is strongly identified.

Etymology

Although the name's spelling and pronunciation in French are identical to those for the word that means "chin", there does not seem to be any link with this French word. According to the French geographer Ernest Nègre, the name ''Menton'' comes from the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

name ''Mento''. However, it is possible that the name of the city comes from ''Mons Ottonis'' (reconstituted) from the name of Otton II, the count of

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; lij, label= Intemelio, Ventemiglia , lij, label= Genoese, Vintimiggia; french: Vintimille ; oc, label= Provençal, Ventemilha ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located southwest of ...

from 1162-1200. In Mentonasc, the city's name is ''Mentan'' (), and in Italian ''Mentone'' (). An inhabitant of Menton, ''un mentonnais'' or ''un mentonasque'' in French, would be ''O mentonasc'' in the local dialect.

History

The Menton area has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, and is the site of the original " Grimaldi Man" find of early modern humans, as well as remains of

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While the ...

s and Cro-Magnons. In

times, the

Via Julia Augusta The Via Julia Augusta (modern Italian Via Giulia Augusta) is the name given to the Roman road formed by the merging of the Via Aemilia Scauri with the Via Postumia. The road runs from Placentia (modern Piacenza) to Arelate (modern Arles), init ...

, a road connecting Placentia (now

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

) with Arelates (now

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...

) passed through Menton, running along the Rue Longue in the old town. The first major settlement occurred during the 11th century CE, when the count of

constructed the ''Château de Puypin'' (''Podium Pinum'') on the Pépin hill, north and west of the modern town centre. During the 13th century, the seigneury of Puypin fell to the Vento family of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

who built a new castle along the Roman road, now the site of the ''Vieux-Château'' cemetery, providing the core around which the current town grew. Menton was thus incorporated into the

. The first mention of Menton dates from 21 July 1262, in the peace treaty between

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) ...

and Genoa. Its position on the border between the

Angevin Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to: *County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France **Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou **Counts and Dukes of Anjou * House of Ingelger, a Frank ...

-ruled

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

and the Republic of Genoa, which at the time claimed

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

as its western limit, made it a coveted location. Le comté de Nice et Oneille

Acquired in 1346 by Charles Grimaldi, Lord of Monaco, Menton was ruled by the

princes of Monaco The following is a list of rulers of Monaco. Most belong to the House of Grimaldi; exceptions, which consist primarily of the principality's administrators under periods of foreign occupation, are noted. History The House of Grimaldi, descend ...

until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. Annexed during the Revolution, Menton remained part of France through the

First Empire First Empire may refer to: * First British Empire, sometimes used to describe the British Empire between 1583 and 1783 * First Bulgarian Empire (680–1018) *First French Empire (1804–1814/1815) * First German Empire or "First Reich", sometimes u ...

. It belonged to the district of

Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...

in the department of Alpes-Maritimes, which at the time included Monaco and Sanremo. In 1814, Menton was included in a reconstituted principality of Monaco which, after Napoleon's Hundred Days in 1815, became a protectorate of the king of Sardinia. The princes of Monaco were obliged to do homage to the king for Menton, although not for Monaco itself. Frontiere Monaco

In 1848, Menton, along with its neighbour Roquebrune, seceded from Monaco, due at least in part to a tax imposed on lemon exports. They proclaimed themselves a "free city" during the 1848 revolutions related to the Italian

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

, then two years later placed themselves under the protection of the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

where they were administered by the House of Savoy for ten years. The Treaty of Turin concluded on 24 March 1860 between the Kingdom of Mauricio and

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

's France called for the annexation of the

County of Nice The County of Nice (french: Comté de Nice / Pays Niçois, it, Contea di Nizza/Paese Nizzardo, Niçard oc, Contèa de Niça/País Niçard) is a historical region of France located around the southeastern city of Nice and roughly equivalent t ...

to France, subject to a

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...

, as a reward for French assistance in Italy's war against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The plebiscite, with universal adult male suffrage, was held on 15 and 16 April 1860, and resulted in an overwhelming vote in favour of annexation (833 for versus 54 against in Menton and Roquebrune), despite complaints of rigged elections from, among others,

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

-born Italian nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi. The County of Nice was thus annexed to France that June, and

paid 4 million francs in compensation to the prince of Monaco, who renounced his rights in perpetuity on 2 February 1861. The publication of ''Winter and Spring on the Shores of the Mediterranean'' (1861) by the English doctor James Henry Bennett had a profound effect on Menton, making it a destination for sufferers of tuberculosis. By the end of the 19th century, tourism was an important factor in Menton's growth. The town was popular with British and Russian aristocrats who built many of the hotels, villas, and palaces which still grace Menton today. Many of these hotels and palaces were pressed into service as hospitals during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

to allow injured troops to recuperate in a pleasant climate. Menton et voilier (1900s)

Menton was the only sizable settlement captured by Italy during its invasion of France in June 1940. Following the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

of 22 June 1940, two-thirds of the territory of the commune was annexed by

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

as '' terra irredenta''. The annexation lasted until 8 September 1943. Although officially returned to

Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its te ...

, Menton was in fact occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

until its liberation by American and Canadian troops of the

First Special Service Force The 1st Special Service Force was an elite American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, under the command of the United States Fifth Army. The unit was organized in 1942 and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana i ...

on 8 September 1944.

Geography

Menton, nicknamed the ''Pearl of France'', is located on the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

at the Franco-Italian border, just across from the

Liguria it, Ligure , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

n town of

Menton station Menton is a railway station located in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, southeastern France. The station was opened in 1869 and is located on the Marseille–Ventimiglia railway. The train services are operated by SNCF. Train services The station is serv ...

has rail connections to Paris, Marseille, Cannes, Antibes, Nice and Ventimiglia. The smaller

Menton-Garavan station Menton-Garavan is a railway station in Menton, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. History The station is located on the Marseille–Ventimiglia railway line. The station is served by TER (local) services operated by SNCF The Société nat ...

is situated between Menton and Ventimiglia. The fishing industry was devastated in the 1980s and 1990s due to a combination of overfishing and hypoxia in the bay. At the time, the devastation was erroneously attributed to the dubiously nicknamed "killer algae" ''

Caulerpa taxifolia ''Caulerpa taxifolia'' is a species of green seaweed, an alga of the genus ''Caulerpa'', native to tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. The species name ''taxifolia'' arises from the resemblance of its leaf-like ...

'' (a non-native Asian tropical green alga first discovered in the

adjacent to the

Oceanographic Museum of Monaco The Oceanographic Museum (''Musée océanographique'') is a museum of marine sciences in Monaco-Ville, Monaco. This building is part of the Institut océanographique, which is committed to sharing its knowledge of the oceans. History Th ...

in 1984) spread throughout the coastal sea floor. Later, sound scientific findings revealed that the seaweed was adept at absorbing pollutants and excess nutrients, actually aiding the recovery of native ''

Posidonia ''Posidonia'' is a genus of flowering plants. It contains nine species of marine plants ("seagrass"), found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia. The APG system (1998) and APG II system (2003) accept this ge ...

'' sea grass and enhancing local fish populations and overall biodiversity.

Climate

Menton has a very mild subtropical microclimate with an average of 316 clear or partially cloudy days annually. Under the Köppen system, Menton features a hot-summer mediterranean climate (''Csa''). However, the milder winters (on average) and the warmer nights in summer (on average), compared to the rest of the French Mediterranean coastal area, provide Menton with a particular micro-climate, with significant warm-summer mediterranean climate (''Csb'') influences and characteristics, like coastal

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

(usually experienced between

through

and Menton, toward the Italian border town of

and up to San Remo) that is favourable to hardy clementines,

mandarin oranges The mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), also known as the mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of orange-coloured ...

, satsuma orange, tangerines,

oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

and

lemons The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...

(SRA 625 is protected Citron de Menton variety) groves, hence one of the town's symbols, the

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

. Winter frosts are extremely rare but may occasionally occur every few years at the ground level and snow falls on average once every 10 years. Likewise, summer temperatures are relatively moderate with day temperatures of 28-32, but rarely rising above 33 °C.

Townscape

File:France-Italy Border Checkpoint, Menton.jpg, The Pont Saint-Ludovic / Ponte San Ludovico border crossing point between Menton, France and

Ventimiglia, Italy Ventimiglia (; lij, label=Intemelio, Ventemiglia , lij, label=Genoese dialect, Genoese, Vintimiggia; french: Vintimille ; oc, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal, Ventemilha ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern ...

File:Menton vue de mer.jpg, Menton from the sea File:Menton decorated window.JPG, Menton decorated window Menton is known for its gardens, including the

Jardin Serre de la Madone Serre de la Madone (6 hectares) is a garden in France notable for its design and rare plantings. It is located at 74, Route de Gorbio, Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. It is open to the public (every day except Monda ...

, the

Jardin botanique exotique de Menton The Jardin botanique exotique de Menton (11,000 m²), also known as the Jardin botanique exotique du Val Rahmeh, is a botanical garden located off Avenue St Jacques, Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. It is open daily ex ...

('Le Val Rahmeh'), the Fontana Rosa, the Maria Serena garden, and the modernist gardens of Les Colombières. Le Val Rahmeh was established in 1905 by Englishman Sir Percy Radcliffe, the first owner of the gardens, and named for his wife. Villa Fontana Rosa was built in 1922 by Blasco Ibáñez, a Spanish novelist, and the gardens of the villa are now open to the public. * The baroque

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

of Saint-Michel-Archange, with its belltower, was built in 1619 by the Genoese architect Lorenzo Lavagna. * The Bastion Museum, which features decoration by

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

, is located in the Bastion of the port of Menton. The bastion, built overwater in 1636 as an advance defense for the port by the Princes of Monaco, is now located at the shoreline. * The wedding room at the Mairie (town hall) was painted in the 1950s by Cocteau, transforming it into a giant work of art. * Menton is home to at least half a dozen beaches. * Menton is notable for its Palissy majolica pottery depicting lemons. File:Wall Plate, 9.6 ins., coloured glazes, Palissy style, Menton, France.jpg, * The historic covered market was built in 1898 by local architect Adrien Rey. The market is open every day from 5 am until 1 pm in the summer; in the winter, it opens at 5:30 am. Over 30 kiosks both inside and around the market sell local and imported vegetables. The Belle Époque structure was one of buildings constructed by the architect in the region. * Next to the beach and the covered market is the

Jean Cocteau Museum The Jean Cocteau Museum/Séverin Wunderman Collection is a museum in Menton, on the French Riviera, in the Alpes-Maritimes department. Dedicated to the French artist Jean Cocteau, it incorporates the collection of American businessman and Cocteau ...

. It opened in 2011 and is close to the Bastion Museum. *

Mirazur Mirazur is a restaurant in Menton, France rated with three stars by the Michelin Guide. The restaurant is run by Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco, who previously worked with Bernard Loiseau, Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse and Guy Martin. He opened ...

is a French haute cuisine restaurant with three Michelin Guide stars. The World's 50 Best Restaurants list ranks Mirazur as the best restaurant in the world.

Population

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public nurseries/Preschools include:Les écoles maternelles
" Menton. Retrieved on 25 September 2018. * Centre-ville/Vieille ville area: Adrien Camaret and the Section enfantine de l'Hôtel de Ville * Borrigo: René Cassin, Germaine Coty, Robert Debré, and Manon des Sources * Careï: Careï and Saint-Exupéry * Garavan: Section enfantine Alphonse Daudet Public primary schools include:
" Menton. Retrieved on 25 September 2018. * Centre-ville/Vieille ville area: élémentaire Frédéric Mistral and primaire de l'Hôtel de Ville * Borrigo: élémentaire

Anne Frank Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...

- André Guillevin, élémentaire Condamine Centenaire, and élementaire Marcel Pagnol * Careï: élémentaire Careï

Jeanne d'Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

and élémentaire Saint-Exupéry * Garavan: primaire Alphonse Daudet There are two public junior high schools, Guillaume Vento and André Maurois.Les Collèges
" Menton. Retrieved on 25 September 2018. The two public sixth-form colleges/senior high schools are Lycée Pierre et Marie Curie and Lycée Professionnel Hôtelier Paul Valéry. The private Institution Notre Dame du Sacré Cœur has the Villa Blanche preschool, primary, and junior high school in the Centre-ville area.

Colleges and universities

* The

Institut d'Etudes politiques de Paris , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...

, the leading French university in social and political sciences, also known as Sciences Po, hosts a regional Middle East and Mediterranean campus in Menton since 2005.

Mentonasc language

The '' Mentonasc'' dialect is currently spoken by about 10% of the population in Menton, Roquebrune, and the surrounding villages. It is taught within the

French educational system Education in France is organized in a highly centralized manner, with many subdivisions. It is divided into the three stages of primary education (''enseignement primaire''), secondary education (''enseignement secondaire''), and higher educatio ...

, as a variety of Niçard (i.e. Provençal and

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

). However, in nineteenth-century linguistic descriptions, as well as in contemporary linguistic scholarship, Mentonasc is described as an intermediate between Niçard and the

Intemelio Intemelio is a Ligurian dialect spoken historically from the Principality of Monaco to the Italian province of Imperia. History Since the Renaissance the Ligurian language was spoken in all the territories of the Republic of Genoa; in the we ...

dialect of Ligurian. Some scholars insist that Mentonasc is, at its base, a Ligurian dialect, with French influences coming only later,.

Annual town events

The Fête du Citron (Lemon Festival) takes place every February. The event follows a given theme each decade; past themes include Viva España, Disney,

Neverland Neverland is a fictional island featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is an imaginary faraway place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and some other imaginary beings and creatures live. Altho ...

, and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The carnival lasts a few days, with different bands passing through Menton's streets on foot or on truck trailers. The Casino Gardens in the centre of town are decorated in the theme of the festival, using lemons and oranges to cover the exhibits, and huge temporary statues are built and covered with citrus fruit. The Casino Gardens are also the location for Menton's Christmas Festival. The Menton Classical Musical Festival is also held every year in the centre of the old town. File:Menton Lemon Festival.jpg File:Menton Lemon Festival2.jpg File:Menton Lemon Festival3.jpg File:Menton Lemon Festival4.jpg

Sport and recreation

Menton has a football team, Rapid de Menton, who play at the stadium Stade Lucien Rhein. Menton also has a rugby team, Le rugby Club Webb Ellis de Menton. There is a municipal swimming pool, Piscine Alex Jany. The town is famous in the cycling world as being the start of the climb of the Col de la Madone de Gorbio (generally shortened to Col de la Madone), which rises to 925 metres and was (in)famously used by Lance Armstrong to train for the Tour de France; many professionals based in neighbouring Monaco still use the climb for training and testing. Menton was also the location of a international tennis tournament the Riviera Championships that ran from 1902 to 1976. It was hosted by the Menton Lawn Tennis Club. The event was part of the French Riviera circuit tour.

Notable residents

Notables who were born, lived, or died in Menton include:

Living people

* Jérôme Alonzo (born 1972), French first division football

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

, born in Menton *

Richard Anconina Richard Anconina (; born 28 January 1953) is a French actor. He won the César Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1983, and for Best Actor in 1989. Filmography *1977 : ''Comment se faire réformer'' directed by Philippe Clair *1978 : ''Les Réfo ...

(born 1953), French actor; before his film career, he worked for several years at a holiday club for seniors in Menton * Olivier Echouafni (born 1972), French first-division football

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, born in Menton * Sébastien Gattuso (born 1971), Monégasque athlete specializing in bobsledding * Cédric Varrault (born 1980), French first-division football defender; began his career with the Menton football club

Historical figures

* Émile Appay (1876–1935), French landscape painter, spent time in Menton over the years capturing paintings of the sea. *

Ferdinand Bac Ferdinand-Sigismond Bach, known as Ferdinand Bac, (15 August 1859, Stuttgart, Germany - 18 November 1952, Compiegne, France) was a German-French cartoonist, artist and writer, son of an illegitimate nephew of the Emperor Napoleon. As a young man, h ...

(1859–1952), French illustrator,

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

, and writer; developed the house and gardens of Les Colombières above Menton for Émile and Caroline Ladan-Bockairy. The house contains frescoes and modernist furniture by Bac, with a large garden set over several levels. Les Colombières is a Monument Historique and has been recently restored. * Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872–1898), English illustrator and author *

Lesley Blanch Lesley Blanch, MBE, FRSL (6 June 1904, London – 7 May 2007, Garavan near Menton, France) was a British writer, historian and traveller. She is best known for '' The Wilder Shores of Love'', about Isabel Burton (who married the Arabist and ex ...

(1904–2007), English-born writer *

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (, 29 January 1867 – 28 January 1928) was a journalist, politician and bestselling Spanish novelist in various genres whose most widespread and lasting fame in the English-speaking world is from Hollywood films that were ...

(1867–1928), Spanish author; at the end of his life, lived on his estate, Fontana Rosa, in Menton *

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...

(1795–1881), Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher; lived at the home of

Louisa Baring, Lady Ashburton Louisa Caroline Baring, Lady Ashburton (; 5 March 1827 – 2 February 1903), was a Scottish art collector and philanthropist who had close connections with several artistic and literary figures of the period. Early life Louisa Caroline Stewart ...

from December 1866 to March 1867 following the death of his wife

Jane Welsh Carlyle Jane Baillie Carlyle ( Welsh; 14 July 1801 – 21 April 1866) was a Scottish writer and the wife of Thomas Carlyle. She did not publish any work in her lifetime, but she was widely seen as an extraordinary letter writer. Virginia Woolf ca ...

* René Clément (1913–1996), film director *

(1889–1963), French artist, spent much time in Menton over the years; the

is in Menton; he decorated the wedding room in Menton's town hall, and the small stone bastion in Menton's harbour wall * Ivan Grigorovich (1853–1930), Imperial Russian Navy admiral, lived in Menton after the Russian Revolution *

Panait Istrati Panait Istrati (; sometimes rendered as ''Panaït Istrati''; August 10, 1884 – April 16, 1935) was a Romanian working class writer, who wrote in French and Romanian, nicknamed ''The Maxim Gorky of the Balkans''. Istrati appears to be the ...

(1884–1935), Romanian writer of French and Romanian expression (friends with Romain Rolland); lived in Menton for a brief period and has a street in Menton named after him * Joseph Joffo (1931–2018), French author; lived temporarily in Menton during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Anatoly Lunacharsky Anatoly Vasilyevich Lunacharsky (russian: Анато́лий Васи́льевич Лунача́рский) (born Anatoly Aleksandrovich Antonov, – 26 December 1933) was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and the first Bolshevik Soviet People ...

(1875–1933), Russian Marxist revolutionary and the first Soviet People's Commissar of Enlightenment responsible for culture and education; died in Menton *

George Macleay Sir George Macleay (180924 June 1891) was an Australian explorer and politician. Biography Macleay was born in London, the third son of Alexander Macleay and educated at Westminster School. He came to Australia in 1826. In November 1829 he ...

(1809–1891), Australian explorer and politician; died in Menton *

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebra ...

(1888–1923), New Zealand modernist short story writer who lived and worked in a street now named after her. Her former home, the ''Villa Isola Bella'' is used as the residence for New Zealand writers who receive the

Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship The Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, formerly known as the New Zealand Post Katherine Mansfield Prize and the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship, is one of New Zealand's foremost List of New Zealand literary awards, ...

to live and write there for a year. *

James Matheson Sir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet, FRS (17 November 179631 December 1878), was a Scottish Tai-Pan. Born in Shiness, Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, he was the son of Captain Donald Matheson. He attended Edinburgh's Royal High Sc ...

(1796–1878), was a Scottish trader in

, co-founder of Jardine Matheson & Co., died in Menton 31 December 1878 (aged 82). * Alfred Edersheim (1825–1889), Jewish Biblical scholar; died in Menton * Charles H. Spurgeon (1834–1892), British Baptist preacher; died in Menton *

Graham Sutherland Graham Vivian Sutherland (24 August 1903 – 17 February 1980) was a prolific English artist. Notable for his paintings of abstract landscapes and for his portraits of public figures, Sutherland also worked in other media, including printmaking ...

(1903–1980), English painter * Philip Meadows Taylor (1808–1876), British Indian civil servant and author * Hans-Georg Tersling (1857–1920),

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

architect, designed many buildings in the town *

William Webb Ellis William Webb Ellis (24 November 1806 – 24 January 1872) was an English Anglican clergyman who, by tradition, has been credited as the inventor of rugby football while a pupil at Rugby School. According to legend, Webb Ellis picked up the ba ...

(1806–1872), inventor of rugby; lived in Menton at the end of his life and is buried in the old cemetery *

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

(1865–1939), Irish writer and poet; died in Menton

International relations

Menton is twinned with: *

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the Rhine, the border with Fra ...

, Germany *

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

, United States *

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxima ...

, Switzerland *

Nafplio Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

, Greece * Sochi, Russia