Menton, France — a quiet guide to the Côte d'Azur

Menton sits at the very end of the Côte d'Azur, where France meets Italy, and most people drive straight past it on the way to somewhere louder. That is exactly its charm.

Come for the market first, and come early — by seven the flowers are still wet and the town is waking up rather than performing. Then the old town: pastel façades in apricot and ochre, steep Italianate stairways, the odd lemon tree, and views over terracotta rooftops to the sea.

For the water, skip the busy beaches and follow the coast toward the rocks. A swim before noon, before the crowds, is the whole point of a Menton morning.

If you want the Riviera without the noise — slower, softer, a little Italian — Menton is where to begin.