Menton
You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.
Menton | |
|---|---|
Location of  | |
| Country | France |
| Arrondissement | Nice |
| Canton | Chief town of 2 cantons |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 06083 / |
Menton (IPA: [mɑ̃tɔ̃]; Occitan: Menton in classical norm or Mentan in Mistralian norm; Italian: Mentone) is a town and commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région of France. It has been called the most beautiful town on the French Riviera, and its nickname is La perle de la France ("The pearl of France").
History
The area around Menton has been inhabited since the paleolithic era. There remains a visible section of the via Julia Augusta , (an old Roman way which connected Vintimille with Nice - Cimiez and with Rome), currently part of Long street, which crosses the old city.
The first major settlement occurred during the early 11th Century AD around which time the Count of Vintimille founded the Château de Puypin. During the 13th Century the seigneury of Puypin ( Podium Pinum ) fell, along with the rest of Menton, to the Vento family of Genoa. They built another castle there: this one gave rise to the current city, which became part of the Republic of Genoa. The first mention of the city dates from July 21 1262, in the peace treaty between Charles of Anjou and Genoa. Its position on the borders between the Angevin ruled Provence and the Republic of Genoa - which at that time marked Monaco as its Western limit - meant it was in a relatively coveted position.
In 1346 Menton came under the rule of the princes of Monaco. The principality of Monaco was reconstituted in 1814, but in 1815 passed under the protectorate of the King of Sardinia.
Menton was attached to France during Revolution and it First Empire and formed then part of the department of Alpes-Maritimes (which included then Monaco and Sanremo). It belonged to the district of Sanremo.
In 1848 it proclaimed itself a Free Ville (a free city) with its neighbor Roquebrune, and placed itself under the protection of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Under their rule Menton would become part of the county of Nice.
By a treaty concluded in 1860 between the Sardinian king and Napoleon III, the County of Nice was ceded to France as a territorial reward for French assistance in the Second Italian War of Independence against Austria.
The two free cities became French one year later in 1861 following a plebiscite in which the people Menton decided massively in favour of becoming part of France. Napoleon III paid 4 million franc in compensation to the prince of Monaco for the territorial loss.
Following the armistice of June 22, 1940, two thirds of the territory of the commune was annexed to Italy in the summer of 1940 until September 8 1943 - it was then entirely occupied by Germans until liberation on September 8 1944.
Geography
Menton is located on the Franco-Italian border, within the confines of the Côte d'Azur and the Ligurian Alps. It boasts a warm micro-climate favorable to lemon, tangerine, and orange groves.
The fishing industry was devastated in the 1980s and 1990s when the "killer Algae" Caulerpa taxifolia (a non-native Asian tropical green algae first discovered in the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco in 1984) that was introduced to the local environment spread throughout the coastal sea floor decimating the local fish life.
Language mentonasque
Mentonasc, also called Mentonasque or Mentonnais (in French), is a Ligurian (Northern Italian) dialect spoken near Ventimiglia, Sanremo (intemelio) and the Upper Roya Valley (royasque/roiasc). It shows some transition features to Occitan subdialect, traditionally assigned to the Occitan language (Provençal Niçard dialect). It is spoken by a minority in the city of Menton and surrounding villages, near the border with Italy.
However, French scholars generally regard the mentonasque (name of the local speech) as a speech of Occitan Provence Niçois, making the transition towards ligure (intémélien). They believe that it is closer to the Occitan Niçois, spoken in Nice, than Ligure, spoken in the Roya Vallley and Vintimille. Nevertheless, central features of Provence (maritime and niçard) influenced the mentonasque speech substantially (apocope generalized, diphtongaison, vocabulary) - with the result that with the ear features occitans proclamations characterize this speech.
Sights
Perhaps the most famous aspect of Menton is its world-renowned gardens, including the Serre de la Madone, the Le Val Rahmeh, the Fontana Rosa, and the Maria Serena garden. Le Val Rahmeh, named for his wife, was established in 1905 by Englishman Sir Percy Radcliffe, the first owner of the gardens. 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 of Saint-Michel-Archange, with its bell-tower is one of the most beautiful spots of the area.
- Basilique Saint-Michel
- Musée Jean Cocteau
Origin of the name
It is possible, but not some, that the name of the city comes from Mons Ottonis (reconstituted) of the name of Otton II, count de Vintimille of 1162-1200.
The city is called, in occitan mentonasque, [meⁿˈtaⁿ], that one writes Menton in traditional standard or Mentan in standard mistralienne. Gentilé (singular) is O mentonasc (standard traditional) or or mentounasc (standard mistralienne).
In Italian, the name is written Mentone (delivery [menˈtone]).
Mentona is a form attested in Russian (of Italian). An orthodoxe church testifies to the Russian presence in the area with the turning of 1900.
Events
Every year in February, the Lemon Festival takes place in the town. There are huge temporary statues built and covered with citrus fruit (lemons and oranges), and every year the festival follows a given theme. Past themes include Viva España, Disney, Neverland, and India. The festival lasts for a few days, with different bands passing through Menton's streets on foot or truck trailers. The casino gardens in the centre of town are decorated in the theme of the festival, using the celebrated fruit to cover the exhibits. The Casino Gardens are also the location for Menton's Christmas Festival.
The Menton Classical Musical Festival is also held every year in the heart of the atmospheric old town.
Miscellaneous
Menton is twinned with:
See also
- Mentonasque
- Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
- List of historical unrecognized countries
- Former countries in Europe after 1815
External links
