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39-712: Menton ( French: [mɑ̃tɔ̃] ; Occitan: [menˈta] [mɛnˈtɑ̃] , written Menton in classical norm or Mentan in Mistralian norm ; Italian : Mentone [menˈtoːne] ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera , close to the Italian border. Menton has always been a frontier town. Since

78-444: A dock where boats are filled with people throwing flowers into the port. They then pay tribute to those who have lost their lives at sea. After the boats return, they start celebrating with the traditional fish soup. 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

117-412: 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

156-462: A local noble family came to power, still identifying themselves as vassals of the Byzantines but in reality independent since communication with Constantinople was very difficult. Of those rulers, only two names are known: Salusios (Σαλούσιος) and the protospatharios Turcoturios (Tουρκοτούριος), who probably reigned some time in the 10th and 11th centuries. They were still closely linked to

195-506: A pleasant climate. Menton was the only sizable settlement captured by Italy during its invasion of France in June 1940. Following the armistice of 22 June 1940, two-thirds of the territory of the commune was annexed by Italy as terra irredenta . The annexation lasted until 8 September 1943. Although officially returned to Vichy France , Menton was in fact occupied by Nazi Germany until its liberation by American and Canadian troops of

234-570: A son of Hercules , gave the island its name; one of his nephews, Iolaus , founded the city of Olbia. Greek colonization of the city of Olbia has been confirmed by recent archaeological excavations. Towards the end of the 6th century BC, Sardinia was conquered by the Carthaginians and in 238 BC it was occupied by the Romans for c.1000 years, with a period under the dominion of the Vandals in

273-706: A tax imposed on lemon exports. They proclaimed the Free Cities of Menton and Roquebrune during the 1848 revolutions related to the Italian Risorgimento . The Free Cities of Menton and Roquebrune hoped to be part of the Italian kingdom of Sardinia . Two years later placed themselves under the protection of the Italian kingdom of Sardinia where they were administered by the House of Savoy for ten years. The Treaty of Turin concluded on 24 March 1860 between

312-530: Is also held every year in the centre of the old town. Also in Menton, celebrated on the first weekend of July, is the procession and celebration of Saint-Pierre (Sant Pie ), the patron of fishermen. The procession begins in the Basilique Saint-Michel de Menton. Dancers, singers, and musicians in traditional costumes from La Capelina de Menton perform in the basilica. The crowds then head to

351-461: Is described as an intermediate between Niçard and the Intemelio dialect of Ligurian . Some scholars insist that Mentonasc is, at its base, a Ligurian dialect, with French influences coming only later. 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 , and India . The carnival lasts

390-506: 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 an international tennis tournament

429-496: Is favourable to groves of hardy clementines , mandarin oranges , satsuma orange , tangerines , oranges and lemons ( SRA 625 is protected Citron de Menton variety), hence one of the town's symbols, the lemon . Winter frosts are extremely rare but may occasionally occur at ground level, and snow falls on average once every 10 years. Likewise, summer temperatures are relatively moderate with day temperatures of 28 °C to 32 °C, but rarely rising above 32 °C. Menton

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468-562: Is sheltered from the west winds by Mont-Agel, and the steep foothills of the Alps, to the north and the north-east, protect the town from freezing winter cold. The winters are therefore very mild and sunny; the thermometer rarely drops below 0°C, and the lowest average temperature is 11.3°C in January. Summers are hot at 25°C on average in July and August but tempered by the sea breeze. Menton holds

507-774: 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 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 Republic of Genoa . The first mention of Menton dates from 21 July 1262, in

546-573: The Duke of Savoy by the Treaty of The Hague . The monarchs of the House of Savoy ruled from their mainland capital of Turin , but styled themselves primarily with the royal title of Sardinia as superior to their original lesser dignity as Dukes of Savoy . However, their numeral order continued the Savoyard list. In 1861, after the annexation of other states in the Italian peninsula, the parliament of

585-586: The First Empire . It belonged to the district of Sanremo 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. In 1848, Menton, along with its neighbour Roquebrune , seceded from Monaco, due at least in part to

624-739: The First Special Service Force on 8 September 1944. Menton, nicknamed the Pearl of France , is located on the Mediterranean Sea at the Franco-Italian border, just across from the Ligurian town of Ventimiglia . Menton station has rail connections to Paris, Marseille, Cannes, Antibes, Nice and Ventimiglia. The smaller Menton-Garavan station is situated between Menton and Ventimiglia. The fishing industry

663-715: 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. Notables who were born, lived, or died in Menton include: Menton is twinned with: Mistralian norm The Tresor dòu Felibrige , published by the Félibrige in 1878, was written entirely in the Mistralian norm. Some features include: The IETF language subtag for

702-511: The 5th and 6th centuries CE. According to Procopius , Godas was a Vandal governor of Sardinia who rebelled against his king, Gelimer , who ruled northern Africa, Sardinia and Corsica. Procopius wrote that Godas behaved like a king, but it was a short-lived kingdom. Godas was defeated and killed after two years by an expedition from Carthage led by King Gelimer 's brother, Tzazo . Shortly afterwards, Roman troops sent by Emperor Justinianus and led by General Belisarius , totally annihilated

741-564: The Byzantines, both by a pact of ancient vassalage and culturally, with the use of the Greek language (in a country of the Romance language) and Byzantine art. In the early 11th century, Muslims based in Spain attempted to conquer the island. The only records of that war are from Pisan and Genoese chronicles. The Christians won but afterwards the previous Sardinian kingdom had been undermined and

780-721: The French record for the highest average temperature in July with an average temperature of 24.8°C. (Values calculated from data recorded over the period 1991-2020) [Source Météo France] Menton is known for its gardens, including the Jardin Serre de la Madone , the Jardin botanique exotique de Menton ('Le Val Rahmeh'), the Fontana Rosa , the Maria Serena garden, and the modernist gardens of Les Colombières . Le Val Rahmeh

819-592: The Kingdom of Mauricio and Napoleon III 's France called for the annexation of the County of Nice to France, subject to a plebiscite , as a reward for French assistance in Italy's war against Austria . 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), The County of Nice

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858-475: The Kingdom of Sardinia from 1479 to 1861. Owing to the absence of written sources, little is known of the history of the Nuraghic civilization which constructed impressive megalithic structures between the 18th and the 12th centuries BCE. The first accounts of Sardinia are from Greek sources, but relate more to myth than to historical reality; an African or Iberian hero, Norax , named the city of Nora ; Sardo,

897-705: 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 to allow injured troops to recuperate in

936-834: The Vandal kingdom and Sardinia returned to Roman administration. Before the Kingdom of Sardinia was founded, the rulers of the island were known as archons ( ἄρχοντες in Greek) or "judges" ( iudices in Latin , judices in Sardinian , giudici in Italian ). The island was organized into one "judicatus" from the 9th century. After the Muslim conquest of Sicily in the 9th century, the Byzantines (who ruled Sardinia) could no longer defend their isolated far western province. In all likelihood

975-625: The Villa Blanche preschool, primary, and junior high school in the Centre-ville area. 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 , as a variety of Niçard (i.e. Provençal and Occitan ). However, in nineteenth-century linguistic descriptions, as well as in contemporary linguistic scholarship, Mentonasc

1014-486: The citrus industry, with which it is strongly identified. 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 name Mento . However, it is possible that the name of the city comes from Mons Ottonis (reconstituted) from

1053-473: The end of the 14th century, it has been on the border between the County of Nice , held by the Duke of Savoy , and the Republic of Genoa . 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

1092-629: The island until 1323, after a victorious military campaign against the Pisans. However, the Sardinian royal title did not have a specific line of succession and all kings used their own primary title. Nominally co-monarch of her son Charles, Joanna was kept imprisoned almost during her whole reign. Sardinia was taken over by Habsburg troops in 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession in

1131-540: 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 . This is usually experienced along the coast between Nice and Menton , toward the Italian border town of Ventimiglia and as far as San Remo ). It

1170-534: The name of Otton II, the count of Ventimiglia from 1162-1200. In Mentonasc , the city's name is Mentan ( pronounced [mɛ(n)ˈtã] ), and in Italian Mentone ( [menˈtoːne] ). An inhabitant of Menton, un mentonnais or un mentonasque in French, would be O mentonasc in the local dialect. The Menton area has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, and is the site of

1209-642: The name of the Habsburg claimant to the Spanish throne, "Charles III" . At the end of the war, Sardinia remained in Charles' possession and, by the Treaty of Rastatt , was ceded to him. Spanish forces invaded the kingdom in 1717 during the War of the Quadruple Alliance . The island was under Spanish military occupation until 1720, when it was given back to Emperor Charles VI who in turn ceded it to

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1248-453: The norm is oc-grmistr . This article about French culture is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about Romance languages is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . King of Sardinia The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia , in particular, of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica from 1323 and then of

1287-537: The original " Grimaldi Man " find of early modern humans , as well as remains of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons . In Roman times, the Via Julia Augusta , a road connecting Placentia (now Piacenza ) with Arelates (now Arles ) 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 Ventimiglia constructed

1326-671: The peace treaty between Charles of Anjou and Genoa. Its position on the border between the Angevin -ruled Provence and the Republic of Genoa, which at the time claimed Monaco as its western limit, made it a coveted location. Acquired in 1346 by Charles Grimaldi , Lord of Monaco, Menton was ruled by the princes of Monaco until the French Revolution . Annexed during the Revolution, Menton remained part of France through

1365-468: The seaweed was adept at absorbing pollutants and excess nutrients, actually aiding the recovery of native Posidonia sea grass and enhancing local fish populations and overall biodiversity. Menton has a very mild subtropical microclimate with an average of 316 clear or mostly clear/mostly sunny days per year. Under the Köppen system , Menton features a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa ) . However,

1404-521: 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 (a non-native Asian tropical green alga first discovered in the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco in 1984) spread throughout the coastal sea floor. Later, sound scientific findings revealed that

1443-654: Was divided into four small judicati : Cagliari ( Calari ), Arborea ( Arbaree ), Gallura , Torres or Logudoro . Occasionally, these rulers took the style of king ( rex ): Some rulers obtained the title King of Sardinia ( Rex Sardiniae ) by grant of the Holy Roman Emperor , despite the emperor itself not having any sovereignty over the island, which made this a mere title with no effective authority over Sardinia: James II of Aragon received royal investiture from Pope Boniface VIII in 1297 as Rex Sardiniae et Corsicae . The Aragonese did not take possession of

1482-591: 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. Public nurseries/Preschools include: Public primary schools include: There are two public junior high schools, Guillaume Vento and André Maurois. 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

1521-455: Was thus annexed to France that June, and Napoleon III paid 4 million francs in compensation to the prince of Monaco, who renounced his rights in perpetuity on 2 February 1861. Nice -born Giuseppe Garibaldi , who promoted the union of the County of Nice to Italy , complained that the plebiscite was not done with "universal vote" and consequently Menton was requested by Italian irredentists . The publication of Winter and Spring on

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