Cross border walk along the historic coastal path between Menton and Ventimiglia, part of the Roman Via Julia Augusta.
Where the mountains meet the sea
Menton - Ventimiglia
Coastal path - Sentier littoral - Sentiero costiero
A stroll along a section of the Via Julia Augusta between Menton and Ventimiglia. Truly a place where the where the mountains meet the sea, the Jurassic rock of the Alpes Maritimes rises direct from the Mediterranean.
The frontier here, now between France and Italy, is one of the “Thick red lines on the map of Europe”, the natural boundary reflected in the complete change in nationality and customs on either side of the frontier. But the weather is the same.
This is a site of considerable history, impossible to list all the significant people who have also looked up at these sheer cliffs. There are caves with prehistoric drawings, it was the Roman route of the Via Julia Augusta and afterwards pilgrimage route between Santiago di Compostella and Rome. Tunnels now house the railway and road traffic, leaving the rocky beaches and coastal path peaceful and relatively rich in botany.