RO: Spune internetul asta mare ca Menton ar fi cel mai frumos orasel din toata Franta! Nu stim daca e sau nu adevarat (inafara de Paris nu am vazut niciun alt oras francez pana anul acesta), dar intelegem de unde vine toata faima asta 🙂 Si cum sa fie altfel cand Menton-ul este fix ultimul oras inainte de a intra in Italia, deci locul unde cultura si gastronomia frantuzeasca se combina intr-un mod atat de interesant cu cele italienesti, de zici c-ai ajuns in Raiul de pe Pamant.

EN: This holy Internet says that Menton is the most beautiful town in France! We can’t say if this is true or not (beside Paris we haven’t seen any other French town until now), but we do understand where this reputation comes from 🙂 And how could it be different, when Menton is the last town before entering Italy, so the place where the French culture and gastronomy matches in such an interesting way with the Italian ones, that you might think you’ve reached Heaven on Earth! 

RO: Ca sa fim sinceri, am fost foarte pe fuga in Menton. Ca de altfel, in toata vacanta de pe Coasta de Azur. Am alergat dintr-o parte in alta ca niste titirezi si-am indesat cat mai multe orasele in cele trei zile mari si late. Dar nu-i bai, numai bine am vazut cate un pic din fiecare, si-acuma stim exact ce-avem de facut data viitoare cand venim. Iar in Menton avem de gand sa stam pana ne-om plictisi! Unde mai pui ca am bifat in calendar deja ca de pe 13 februarie pana pe 2 martie are loc al doilea cel mai important eveniment de pe Riviera…. aaaaah, Coasta de Azur, sa nu suparam francezii nationalisti ca le atribuim italienisme 🙂  Da, da, dupa Formula 1 din Monaco, cea mai mare valva din sudul Frantei are loc la Festivalul Lamailor. La Fete du Citron. De parca nu era suficient ca aveau deja grozavia de Festival al Lavendei, din iunie pana in august, s-au gandit ei francezii din sud sa iti mai dea un motiv in plus sa fii nebun dupa Provence! Si stai, ca nu e asa, oricum, o piata cu trei lamai si doua decoratiuni pe tematica. Nooo. Tot orasul e plin de giganti facuti din lamai (si portocale), un fel de Carnaval de la Rio reinterpretat. E nebunie curata, curata!

EN: To be honest, we’ve been on the run in Menton. Actually, in all our holiday in Cote d’Azur. We ran from one place to the other am we’ve squeezed as many towns as we could in only three days. But this is not a problem, as we’ve seen bits of everything and we now know what to do and see next time when we’ll be here. And we’re planning to stay in Menton until we’ll get bored of it! Oh, and let’s not forget 🙂 We already updated our calendar, as from 13th of February until 2nd of March there is the second most important event from the Riviera… aaaah, Cote d’Azur, so that we will not upset the French nationalists with given them Italian titles 🙂 Yup, after Monaco Formula 1, the biggest bustle in southern France is The Lemon Festival. La Fete du Citron. As if there wasn’t enough that they already had the amazing Lavender Festival, from June to August, the French people thought that it would be best to give us an extra reason to be crazy about Provence! And wait for it, this event is not as simple as it might seem, with two or three lemons and some thematic decorations. Well nooooo. All the city is full of lemon (and oranges) giants, a kind of reinterpreted Rio Carnival. It’s totally madness!








RO: Si am mai adus vorba despre influenta italienilor in alte cateva articole despre Coasta de Azur, dar in Menton parca se simte si mai pregnant 🙂 Nici nu ar putea fi altfel, daca stai sa te gandesti ca esti la fix un pas de Italia. Si pan’ la urma… Mentonul e in Franta abia de pe la 1860, deci cum sa nu ramana impregnat mirosul de pizza&pasta, cum sa nu le placa francezilor de aici siesta de la pranz (aka riposo, am spaniolizat termenul fara intentie :D), cum sa nu se preia arhitectura tipica italiana, culorile si florile si strazile inguste? Un lucru e cert. N-o fi el Mentonul cel mai vizitat si apreciat orasel de pe Coasta de Azur, n-o avea el port urias cu iahturi de n (luate cate n) milioane de dolari, n-o avea muzica si petreceri nebune ca-n St. Tropez, n-o avea nici cazino luxos ca-n Monaco, nici Promenade des Anglais ca-n Nisa, nici filme si fitoseala ca prin Cannes, dar are un ceva autentic, o liniste si-o relaxare de zici ca sta timpul in loc. Si intre noi fie vorba, ce poate fi mai ideal pe lumea asta decat o combinatie si mai ideala de frantuzesc cu italienesc. Asa ca da, am hotarat! Menton e favoritul nostru de pe Coasta de Azur!

EN: We already talked about the Italian influence in some other articles about Cote d’Azur, but here in Menton it feels even more obvious 🙂 It couldn’t be different if you think that you’re just on step away from Italy. And in the end… Menton is part of France only from 1860, so how could you not notice the smell of pizza&pasta, how could the French people not like the afternoon siestas (aka riposo, we used the Spanish term without intention :D), how could they not take the typical Italian architecture, the colors and the flowers and the narrow streets? One thing is certain. Maybe Menton is not the most visited nor the most appreciated town in Cote d’Azur, maybe it doesn’t have a huge harbor with billion dollars yachts, maybe it doesn’t have music and crazy parties as in St. Tropez, luxurious casino as in Monaco, Promenade des Anglais as in Nice or movies and fancy stuff as in Cannes, but it has something authentic, tranquility and relaxation as if time stood still. And between you and me, what can be more ideal in this world than an even more ideal combination of French and Italian 🙂 So yes, we finally decided! Menton is our favorite town in Cote d’Azur!