Menton on the French Riviera, known for its sandy beaches, palm and lemon trees and the artist Jean Cocteau.
Menton, the last town on the French Riviera before the border with Italy, loved by many British, not least for its free, sandy beaches such as the Plage des Sablettes. The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) is adorned with huge banana trees and the avenues and streets of Menton are lined with lemon trees and palm trees. The Palais de L’Europe flies a French flag - the triclore, the blue and white flag of Menton and a noticeably tattered flag of Europe. A far cry from the heady days of the start of the European Project, though not all of Jean Cocteau (the city’s favourite artist son) celebratory drawings are completely reverential, the text says Nous croyons l’Europe (We believe in Europe) but his images aren’t all quite on that message.