To finish
my trip to the south of France, to meet sun and friends, I returned to the
Menton region – for the third time since I started blogging. There are several
reasons to go there - the beauty of the
landscape is of course one and another, the most important one, was to again meet blogger friend
Jilly. Have a look on her sites here,
about Menton, about Monte Carlo, about her dog friends…
I already
made two posts about the little city Menton, so this time I will just show you
the looks of the new Jean Cocteau Museum and of the beautiful covered market.
Actually
Jilly’s home I just behind Menton, up on the hills, close to the wonderful
village Gorbio. With a long history from the time of the Templars and the Crusades,
this little village is today one of the best examples of what you expect a
village in the south of France to look like. Watch the elm on the central
place, planted in 1713 – celebrating its 300 years anniversary by special
festivities this summer.
Jilly took
me on a ride into Italy, so close, along the Ligurian coast. Menton and Gorbio
are almost on the border and are French only since 1860.
We visited
first Bussana Vecchia. A few kilometers up on the hills (see top picture), this little village
was hit by an earthquake in 1887, killing some 2000 people. The village, largely
destroyed, was abandoned, until after WWII when some immigrants from southern Italy
moved in, soon expelled by police forces. Later, since the 1960’s, artists from
all of Europe - and despite continued “fights” with authorities - work and live
here.
The two
churches lost their roofs. A church tower remains….
No chance
for a car to enter the village.
We visited a few art galleries…
… and met a
number of dogs, cats, some hens and a cock.
We then drove
down to the coast, to San Remo, a central city on the Italian Riviera, today
known for its music festival and many other cultural events, during the 19th
century a place of resort for the Austrian Empress “Sissi”, the Russian Tsar
family, Alfred Nobel… There are still a
few palaces left, a casino, an orthodox church… ,
… but once
again, the nicest part is perhaps the narrow streets behind the sea front.
Posts
16 comments:
Peter this looks absolutely fabulous .. I was near but yet so far ,, I was in Monaco but still never made it to Menton :-(
What great photos and a lovely post! The best part of blogs is having the chance to see places you may never get to see in person! Thank you !!
Much enjoyed!!
We like the sud de France more than Paris.
It looks like you had the perfect weather too!
Well, Peter, once again you give me wanderlust and the desire to explore more of France -- Southern France, this time, and that bit of Italy! It's all so charming and as always your photos truly capture the charm and adventure, the beauty and the character of these towns. Thank you!
Bonjour,
Je suis très heureuse de vous retrouver après mon absence durant ce moi de mai...
Je vais m'autoriser un "tu" plutôt que l'éternel "vous" ! Vous permettez que je vous tutoie ou tu permets que je te vouvoie !!...
Quel bonheur que de faire un retour en arrière sur tes publications et de découvrir à nouveau tes merveilleuses photos, pour moi qui connais bien ce sud de la France pour y avoir vécu de longues années. J'y retourne aussi très régulièrement, au moins deux fois par mois !
Dimanche dernier encore je me trouvais près de Béziers chez des amis viticulteurs... La région languedocienne est cependant celle que je connais moins. J'apprendrai à la connaître davantage dans les prochains mois, ma fille Fauve et sa petite famille emménagent à Aigues-Morte fin juin.
Je erre surtout dans le Var et les Alpes Maritimes. Je vais aussi à La Ciotat car mon ami adore. Il est en train de négocier l'achat d'un appartement directement sur le port. (chut!...)
Je vivais à Port-Grimaud et le Var n'a pour moi plus beaucoup de secret et c'est un si beau département.
Les photos que tu nous montres de Menton, Borgo... m'apportent beaucoup de rêves et une belle brise de bonheur.
Merci pour ce régal et plaisir des yeux...
Gros bisous à toi et pardonne-moi pour mon bla-bla !...
What a wonderful series of photos chronicling your stay in Menton, dear Peter. It was so wonderful to have you here - what a lot we did in those few short days. You have the knack - the talent - of taking the perfect photo each time.
Come back soon. It was truly such a pleasure to see you again and this time get to spend more time visiting Italy.
J x
Beautiful! I'd like to visit this area one day.
Wonderful set of images, this is a romantic place!Your friend is adorable and I do love all animals portraits! :)
hugs
Léia
What a treat Peter: First, the beautiful photography! Then Jilly"s friendly face! She and I had a memorable day in Menton and Gorbio last summer. She was so kind then to be my tour guide... I see you made the most of your Southern trip. Like Martine, above, I love "Le sud" where I came from. Do you know the beautiful Michel Sardou song, Je viens du sud? This is how I feel when I look at your photos. Merci Peter. Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
COCORICO !
Je ne dirai jamais assez combien notre beau pays et particulièrement le sud, recèlent de beaux trésors.
Merci pour cette belle visite.
This post is like a travelogue. . .beautiful and varied photos. And I am so jealous that you not only get to meet Jilly. . .but, three times!!
I shall visit Mme. Jilly's blogs. They seem to be so interesting. I love her smile...
Places like this always make me want to come back to this part of France...sigh...
As usual your tour and your photos are fantastic.
I knew that the members of the Russian Imperial family liked to vacation in certain beaches of France.
But the last Tsar and his family were different...
If not spending time at the palace of Livadia on the Black Sea, they liked to sail on the Imperial yacht Standart, sailing past the fjords on the coast of Norway...
Maria
Hi Peter. Thank you so much for this fabulous post!! Your photos have taken me to these wonderful, beautiful places.
The beauty of France seems endless. Your lovely photos make those back streets very enticing.
Wonderful captures Peter of this glorious area ... I've travelled from Cannes to Monaco but never onto Menton and San Remo ... Maybe next year?
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