A market morning in Menton

The market is best at seven. The flowers are still wet, the vendors are unhurried, and you can hear the town waking up rather than the tourists arriving.

I buy less than I used to. One perfect peach beats a full basket of fine — quiet luxury is choosing, not collecting. A few things in the basket, a slow walk home, and the morning is already a good one.

That is the trick to the Riviera, if there is one: come early, take your time, and leave before it fills up.