Menton's Town Hall

Just a glimpse of Menton's Town Hall. It was built in 1861 for Baron Honoré Ardoïno who was a botanist and historian of Menton. After he died the building was used to stage the celebrated Folies-Bergèere and then in 1898 it finally became the town hall.

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Juste un aperçu de l'Hôtel de ville de Menton. Il a été construit en 1861 pour le baron Honoré Ardoïno qui était un botaniste et historien de Menton. Après sa mort le bâtiment a été utilisé pour mettre en scène les célèbres Folies-Bergère puis en 1898, il est finalement devenu l'Hôtel de ville.

Look up!

Look up, look up!  There is so often something fascinating to see.  This corner is opposite the Anglican church and across the road from the Casino.

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Levez les Yeux, levez les yeux!  Il y a souvent quelque chose de fascinant à voir. Cet coin d'immeuble se trouve en face de l' église anglicane et de la rue du Casino.

The White House

This beautiful property at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is set in pristine gardens with mature trees, palms and statuary. Goodness, I sound like a Realtor!  It's at Golfe Bleu and like many villas is best seen from the sea. 

Thanks so much to dear friend John for a fabulous day on the water.

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Cette belle propriété de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin est située dans des jardins naturels avec des arbres matures, des palmiers et des statues. Bonsang! Je parle comme un agent immobilier! C'est au Golfe Bleu et comme beaucoup de villas il vaut  mieux la voir de la mer.

Merci beaucoup à mon ami John pour une fabuleuse journée en mer. 

Derelict! - Villa Mer et Monts

Everytime I drive down the Gorbio valley I see this derelict house high on the hillside and have always wondered about it. The other day I happened to be driving on the other side of the valley on a road I'd never been on before - and there it was in the distance. I snapped the main photo and then asked a man walking his dog if he knew the name of the house. He did. Villa Mer et Monts (Sea and Mountains) and after that research was easy. He also told me the nearest place I could park but that I'd have to walk to the house.

I ignored a chain barrier saying 'no entry' and walked up a very long and steep drive to the property. Some of the shutters were half off and swung in the wind, the whole house seemed to creak and make weird music - it was pretty scary. I thought I'd be able to return to my car from the road beyond the house but it was blocked and so I had to retrace my footsteps. I can tell you I ran through the archways you see at the base of the building and won't be going back again - at least not alone! I wish someone would restore this beautiful building but frankly it's probably too far gone.

In 1905, an Englishman, Mr. Smith-Ryland, bought from the Baroness de Berge, widow of a former Senator of the Loire, the Villa Mer et Monts located in the Val de Gorbio, well away from habitual locations of the entrenched aristocracy, which was in the area of Garavan. It was too small for Mr. Smith-Ryland's taste and so he razed the building to the ground but kept the original name. He instructed the architect Abel Glena to design a large house surrounded by a park of 20,000 m2. The villa standing on a foundation of stone arches which forms a terrace, has forty rooms overlooking the sea and mountains and therefore living up to its name.

Each season, the owners organized 'bridge and dance parties' that reunited many of the British colony who spent their winters in Menton. Sometimes, Mr. Smith-Ryland rented the villa to friends such as Washington Singer, a son of the inventor of the sewing machine.

After the First World War the villa was converted into a nursing and maternity home. Under the direction of Dr. Seguel and surrounded by British personnel, the building welcomed patients who wished to take a 'cure' in the micro-climate of Menton, like Prince Yusupov, the assassin of Rasputin, along with his wife Princess Irina and his brother, Theodore.

Villa Mer et Monts has been abandoned for some years and is now the property of the Conseil General des Alpes Martimes.

Residence du Louvre

We are in the centre of Menton today in the main street that runs up from the sea and the casino. This is where we find the Jardin Biovès and looking down a tiny side street, we see, amongst the palms and orange trees the top of the Résidence du Louvre, which is mostly used for conferences these days.

House in the Hills - 3

Here's another house in the hills above Menton - you can see how the garden is terraced with retaining walls to prevent the soil falling. Essential on slopes like this.

House in the Hills - 2

Here you see the same house as shown yesterday, plus another one in front of it. I can't work out if it's built into the rock or there has been a rock fall at the side of the house?

House in the Hills - 1

A house in the hills way above the Old Town of Menton.

Rooms with a view

Here's a villa on the hillside above the Old Town. This photo was taken from the cemetery. I love the setting, the terraced garden, with the hills behind and with what must be a wondrous view of the coastline. Whether it's good feng shui to look down on a cemetery - ah, there's the rub.

Would it bother you to look down over a cemetery?

A Painted House

The light was just right this morning to photograph this painted house. I've tried getting the detail in the past and it's never worked, so let's have a day away from the beach and see what the centre of Menton has to offer. You can see more of the house below and you can see what is standing in front of it - at this link.

A style of house

This is a longer view - this time taken from the front - of the building featured two days ago when you saw a close-up of the side of the building. The building faces the sea and is just by the casino. You can see the detailed photograph here. Abraham asked if this style of architecture has a name and I just don't know. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than me can help. Certainly, many buildings have those lovely tall French windows, and that colour turquoise is much used in Menton.

Just a small detail...

This is a detail from a building just across from the English church I showed the other day. It's on a corner, just in from the sea. You see this turquoise colour on many buildings: on shutters, pots, ceramic ornamentation.

Hillside behind the Old Town

This was taken from the cemetery above the Old Town, this time looking at the hillside, rather than towards the sea. Thought you might like a change.

Gate houses?

This rather strange looking little building, with its Moorish roof - its twin is on the right - frames the beautiful building featured yesterday. Perhaps they were once gate houses to what was once a palace.

Blue on blue

One of the many beautiful buildings in Menton.

Grey days

Not sure what happened to the blue sky. I'd say blame the photographer. Guess we must have grey days here sometimes...but shhhhh, don't tell anyone. Anyway, she liked the end of this pretty building and she hopes you do too.

More fer forgé

This scene is so typical. Tall French windows to let in the light, shutters to protect from the hot Mediterranean sun and wrought iron railings. And of course oranges on the trees outside. Menton isn't famous for its citrus festival for nothing. Oranges flourish in many Menton streets with the fruit littering the pavements as the fruit falls.

Derelict house for sale!

This house, with its outbuilding, is for sale in the hills above Menton. There is no vehicle access and as you can see, you'd need strong thighs and a good constitution to lug the groceries home. When I took this photograph, we'd already been walking for over twenty minutes. Not for the faint-hearted...