Mentone, France
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Menton (written Menton in classical norm or Mentan in Mistralian norm; Italian: Mentone) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Situated on the French Riviera, it is nicknamed la perle de la France ("The Pearl of France").
The Menton area has been inhabited since the paleolithic, and is the site of the original "Grimaldi Man" find of early modern humans. 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.
Read much more of the town's long and diverse history in Wikipedia
and a very interesting Introduction to Menton in Frommer's.
If you have some more interesting links, photos, or other information for Mentone, France,
Old Town and Harbour
home page
The Mentonasc Language (from Wikipedia): When the area of Menton was part of the Republic of Genoa and later of the Kingdom of Savoy, the Mentonasc was used in all the coastal area between Monaco and Ventimiglia. It was a local version of the historical intemelio, a medieval western ligurian dialect.
In the XIX century, the Mentonasc was used in the territories of the Free cities of Mentone & Roccabruna, an independent little State created in connection with the Italian Risorgimento. It is still spoken by a minority (approximately 10%) in the city of Menton and surrounding villages like Roccabruna, near the border with Italy. Isolated communities of Nizzardo Italians still use the Mentonasc.
Photo Collage by Michèle Beaudin (see more at www.immiges.com)
CLICK PHOTO FOR ENLARGED VIEW
