Flaminio Gundy

Cote d'Azur: From Menton to Monaco Flaminio Gundy

The Cote d'Azur is the French coast that continues the Ligurian Riviera to Hyères. Its capital is Nice, a destination of English aristocrats since the eighteenth century, especially in winter, due to the mild climate that distinguished it from other regions French and English, along with Cannes, which contributed much later to reinforce its international tourism success thanks to the Film Festival. This photo album wants to limit itself to observing only the most eastern and certainly not less important cities of the Cote d'Azur: Menton and Monaco. Those who have the opportunity to visit the Hanbury botanical gardens of Mortola, on the Ligurian coast bordering France, immediately realize that this coastal area must be contaminated by a special and truly unique Mediterranean climate. That same climate that also affects Menton, immediately beyond the border, made more famous than Sicily for the production of its lemons, become the symbol of the city, to which is dedicated every year a special party in the weekends of February. Menton is located on the Via Julia Augusta, an ancient Roman road that connected Rome to Nice, Italian city until 1859, where Giuseppe Garibaldi was born on July 4, 1807. Menton belonged almost uninterruptedly to the Principality of Monaco until 1848, with the sole exception of the period of the French Revolution, during which it was united to France as part of the Maritime Alps department, which it also included Monaco and Sanremo. In 1861, after the union of the county of Nice to France, also Menton and the neighboring Roccabruna became French, following a plebiscite in which the inhabitants chose to join France. And from this moment, in addition to the climatic upheavals of the entire coast, was also added the happy exploit of Monte Carlo, which with the intuition of the casino saw the explosion of tourism of gamblers and the real estate market beyond all limits with restaurants, hotels and private houses of luxury, not only for winter residence, but also for the one of summer. Almost all the photographs are accompanied by the best recipes of the Côte d'Azur.