The South of France-East Half Part 35

+La Turbie+, the ancient Trophraea Augusti station, on the Via Julia, is a poor village, composed of narrow streets, old houses, and gateways close to the ma.s.sive Roman fort, which, after having stood nearly intact for 1700 years, was reduced to its present dilapidated condition by a prince of Monaco in the reign of Louis XIV. The village is supplied with excellent water from a spring to the N.W. of Mt. Agel. To the west of Turbie, at the Colonna del Re, a road descends northwards to the sanctuary of Notre Dame de Laguet, at the foot of Mt. Sembole, 13 m.

from Nice, but scarcely 2 from La Turbie.

The conical hill, rising over La Turbie, is Mt. la Bataille, and the long ridge farther east, leading up to Mt. Agel, 3771 ft., are the Chateau mountains. The view from none of these mountains equals that from the Tete de Chien; moreover, the ascent is uninteresting, by stony paths. Ascend by the first road east from Turbie, and when at the Turbie reservoir turn to the left for the Montagne de la Bataille; but for the Chateau mountains take the path to the right. This path leads round into a narrow ascending valley, at the top of which is the summit of the Chateau mountains, and the commencement of the peak of Mt. Agel, one half-hour higher. The mountain immediately over Monte Carlo and Les Moulins is La Justice, 911 ft., used as a quarry. On the top is a pillar of rough stones, rudely plastered together. By the side of it are the remains of a similar column. At the chapel of St Roch a road leads up to the Corniche road (see map, page 185).

{150}{4} +MONTE CARLO+ station. Alight here for the Casino, for the hotels on Monte Carlo, and for Les Moulins and its hotels.

[Headnote: ROQUEBRUNE.]

{152}{2} +ROQUEBRUNE+ station, where the Corniche road from La Turbie joins the low road from Menton.

+Roquebrune+, pop. 1080, is 150 ft. above the station and the sea, among great ma.s.ses of brown conglomerate rocks. From the main road a series of paved steps leads up to the village through a plantation of lemon trees.

The streets are steep and narrow, but the houses are better and more comfortable than those of the villages similarly situated in the neighbourhood of Menton, Bordighera, and San Remo. Near the terrace is a small restaurant. On the summit of the hill are the ruins of the great castle built by the Lascaris of Ventimiglia, who, in 1363, ceded it to Charles Grimaldi. On a lintel on the eastern square tower is the almost defaced sculpture representing a bishop's mitre, with the armorial bearings of the Grimaldis, and the date August 17, 1528. This bishop is supposed to have been Augustine Grimaldi, councillor to Francis I. of France, who repaired this castle in 1528. A broken staircase leads up to the top. "No warrior's tread is echoed by their halls, no warder's challenge on the silence falls. Around, the thrifty peasants ply their toil, and pluck in orange groves the scented spoil from trees that have for purple mountains made a vestment bright, of green and gold inlaid."

--_Guido and Lita_, by the Marquis of Lorne.

[Headnote: MENTON. HOTELS.]

699 m. S.E. from Paris, 155 m. N.E. from Ma.r.s.eilles, 34 m. N.E. from Cannes, and 15 m. N.E. from Nice, is

MENTON,

population 11,100, 16 miles S.W. from San Remo. _Hotels and Pensions._--Commencing with those at the west end of the Promenade du Midi, near the Gorbio, and going eastward through the town to the Garavan. Those hotels with prefixed have a front to the sea and esplanade, and another to the Avenue Victor Emmanuel II. The asterisk signifies recommended. W signifies bottle of wine, and the price given that of the cheapest quality. P signifies pension or boarding-house. At the west end of the esplanade the H. du Pavilion; the H. St. George, 9-12 frs., W 1 fr., by the side of the Borrigo; *P. Condamine; *H. et P. Londres. These 4 houses charge from 9 to 12 frs., W from 1 to 2 frs.

Near the Carrei and the Episcopal Church of St. John are the *H.

Splendide, 9-12 frs., W 1 fr.; the Parc, 8-10 frs., W 1 fr.; and the *Russie, 9-12 frs., W 1 fr. Now cross the Carrei, on which is a very sheltered promenade up the eastern bank. By the side of the Place (where the band plays), built over the mouth of the torrent, is the *H. de Paris, 10-14 frs., W 1 fr. Same side, H. et P. d'Angleterre, 9-12 frs.

Opposite, the H. Camous, 9-12 frs.; and the Banque Bottini. Situated in the busiest part of Menton are the *P. and H. Mediterranee, 9-12 frs., W 1 fr. Next it the house agencies of Amarante et Cie and Tonin-Amarante; and a little farther, the Menton Bank of Bioves et Cie. Opposite, the H. Westminster, H. Victoria, and *H. de Menton, all large good houses, charging 9-15 frs. The H. Menton is patronised by Messrs. Cook.

Nearer the harbour, but with a front only to the sea, is the Midi, same price. We now enter the eastern or most sheltered quarter, called the Garavan. The hotels are large and first-cla.s.s, and charge from 10 to 20 frs., and wine from 1 to 2 frs. The most westerly is the H. Italie, and, about 100 feet up the bank behind, the princ.i.p.al house of the hotel. A little farther east, on the same eminence, is the *Belle-Vue.

Near the Belle-Vue, and on the same level, is the Villa Helvetia, a benevolent home for ladies not younger than 18 nor older than 40, who are received for 20s. a week, which includes everything "except laundress and fire in bedroom." For conditions of admission apply to Ransom, Bouverie, and Co., bankers, London; Mrs. Seton Karr, 30 Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park; or Miss Mackenzie, 16 Moray Place, Edinburgh.

Below, on the terrace along the beach, is Christ Church, and adjoining is the Paix, a well-furnished house. Then follow the *H. des Anglais, the H. et P. Santa Maria, *Beau Rivage, Grand Hotel, Beau Site, Britannia. Queen Victoria spent the spring of 1882 in the Chalet des Rosiers, about 200 yards from the H. des Anglais.

Inland, on the east side of the Carrei, in a warm nook, under the shelter of a high hill, is a cl.u.s.ter of large and small hotels, just behind the busiest part of the town. Of these the most prominent are the first-cla.s.s houses of the *H. des Iles Britanniques (expensive), *H.

National, *Orient, *Louvre, and Princes. Rather lower down are the Amba.s.sadeurs, Turin, Venise, Malte, Alpes, 9-15 frs., W 1-2 frs.; the last five being less costly. Up the west side of the Carrei is the P.

des Orangers, pleasantly situated. On the road down from the station, on the right or west bank of the Carrei, is the H. de l'Europe, 9-14 frs., W 2 frs. Almost adjoining is a second-cla.s.s house, the H. and P. des Deux-Mondes, 6-7 frs. The above prices include service, coffee in the morning, and meat breakfast and dinner, but never wine, excepting the G.

H. de Menton, whose price includes wine but not coffee.

Menton has certainly some very sheltered nooks, but this only renders the more exposed parts the more dangerous. The distinguis.h.i.+ng feature of the neighbourhood is the abundance of lemon trees in the small valleys watered by mountain streams. The annual yield of the trees amounts to 30 million lemons, of which the minimum price is from 12 to 15 frs. the thousand.

[Headnote: BANKERS. CHURCHES. CONVEYANCES.]

_Bankers._--Bank of France, Maison Palmaro. In the Av. Victor Emmanuel are: Bioves et Cie, Credit Lyonnais, A. Bottini, and Credit de Nice.

In 17 R. St. Michel, the Palmaro Bank and the English Consulate.

_House Agents._--G. Amarante and T. Amarante, 12 and 19 Av. V.

Emmanuel; Willoughby, R. St. Michel. English doctors, chemists, and grocers.

_Protestant Churches._--Christ Church, adjoining the H. de la Paix; St. John's, near the Pont Carrei; Presbyterian, above H. Italie; Vaudois, R. du Castellar; German Church, R. Partouneaux.

_Cabs._--One-horse cab--the course, 1 fr. 25 c.; the hour, 2 frs.

Two-horse cab--the course, 1 fr. 75 c.; the hour, 3 frs. 75 c.

A one-horse cab for the whole day costs 20 frs.; a two-horse cab, 25 frs. Donkey for the whole day, 5 frs.; gratuity, 1 fr. Boats, 2 frs.

the hour.

Menton is situated round a large bay, bounded on the west by Cape St.

Martin, and on the east by Mortola Point. This bay is divided into two smaller bays by the hill, 130 ft. high, on which the old town is built.

The platform of the parish church, St. Michel, is reached by 95 steps in 8 divisions. All the streets about it are narrow, dirty, steep, and even slippery. The new town stretches out a great way along the beach. The public promenade (about 40 ft. wide) bends round the west bay from the town to Cape St. Martin. A kind of gloom pervades Menton. The strip of ground on which it stands is narrow, and so are the streets. Immediately behind rise great mountains with dark gray limestone cliffs, intermingled with deep green olive trees and stiff straggling pines. The valleys are narrow and sombre. The roads up the mountains are steep, badly paved, and are generally traversed on unwilling donkeys.

The pleasantest walks and drives are those along the coast, extending from Cape St. Martin to the Italian frontier, to which there are two roads, an upper and a lower. The former, the main road, crosses the bridge of St. Louis, while the latter skirts the beach to the famous bone-caverns. The _debris_ found in these caves, like the sh.e.l.l-banks in the north of Scotland, consisted of the waste acc.u.mulation from the food of the early inhabitants, together with the stone implements they had employed. Four of the caves are above the railway, a little beyond the viaduct under the Italian custom-house, and two are just below the line close to the beach.

[Headnote: CAPE ST. MARTIN. GORBIO. ST. AGNeS.]

+Cape St. Martin+, 2 m. W. Tram from Garavan to St. Martin, 50 c. The tram stops at the N.E. corner of the cape. On the road northward from the cape leading to Roquebrune is, right hand, a Roman sepulchre, consisting of a centre arch with a smaller arch on each side, all that remains of the Roman settlement Lumone, mentioned by Antoninus. From this a straight road leads directly S. through a grove of large olive trees to the signal-tower in the centre of the peninsula. Beside it are the ruins of a nunnery, which was connected with the monastery of St.

Honorat (p. 158). Afterwards the road leading westward joins the carriage-way, which sweeps round the peninsula. A stony path on the W.

side, parallel to the road, extends along the coast by the rocks and cliffs (see map, p. 185).

+Gorbio+, 2 hrs. or 5 m. N. up the valley of the Gorbio, and 1427 ft.

above the sea. Take the road E. from the Pont de l'Union, pa.s.sing by the entrance into the Villa (Palais) Carnoles, and, traversing groves of lemon and olive trees. When about 1 hr. from the village the road becomes steep, and pines take the place of lemon trees. Gorbio, pop.

500, occupies the summit of a hill rising from a valley formed by the stream Gorbio and by one of its affluents. The streets are narrow, steep, and roughly paved; the houses poor but substantial; and the little church, built in 1683, is dedicated "Soli Deo." At the upper end of the village is a beautiful tulip tree. The path northward from the tree leads to Mt. Gorbio, 2707 ft., and to Mt. Baudon, 7144 ft. The rough stony road leading to the right or eastward from the tree ascends, in less than 2 hrs., to St. Agnes. It is easily followed, and unfolds lovely views. +St. Agnes+, pop. 580, is situated 2180 ft. above the sea, or 330 ft. below the mountain peak, crowned with the ruins of the castle built in the 10th cent. by Haroun, a bold Saracen chief. A narrow path leads up to the top in 45 minutes, whence there is an extensive prospect.

From the village descend to Menton by the path on the W. side of the village, which, after innumerable windings, reaches the road by the side of the Gorbio. On the way down it is difficult, among the network of execrable paths, to follow the right one, which in descending is not of much consequence, but in ascending adds immensely to the fatigue. If the traveller should stray into the Vallon Castagnec or Primeveres, the bed of the stream should be followed as much as possible. One excursion should be made of Gorbio and St. Agnes, commencing with Gorbio.

[Headnote: ANNONCIADE. CASTELLAR.]

Convent and Chapel of the +Annonciade+, 722 ft. above the sea, on the ridge between the Carrei and the Borrigo. Walk up the right or west bank of the Carrei to beyond the railway bridge, the length of the Hotel Beau-Sejour, whence the path commences. Opposite, on the other side of the river, is seen the Hotel des Iles Britanniques. The object of this easy excursion is the charming view from the terrace in front of the convent. The walls of the church are covered with votive offerings.

+Castellar+, 1280 ft. above the sea, 4 m. north, pop. 770. The road commences from the narrow street, R. de la Caserne, a few yards W. from the Place du Marche. Having pa.s.sed a church, it enters on the broad highway which skirts the flanks of the steep mountains, covered with lemon and olive trees, rising from the left or east side of the stream Menton. With a few interruptions the road is excellent all the way.

Castellar, on the plateau of St. Sebastian, surrounded by olive trees, is a poor village, consisting of three narrow dirty parallel streets lined with ugly dingy houses, and terminating at the N. end with the parish church, rebuilt in 1867. Near the church are the crumbling ruins of a castle of the Lascaris, descendants of the Byzantine Emperors. From the terrace, where there are some beautiful elm trees, is a charming view. Here also the village feast-day is held on the 20th of January.

From Castellar 2 to 3 hrs. are required for the ascent of the Berceau, 3640 ft. above the sea, commanding a magnificent prospect. Guide advisable.

[Headnote: BENNET'S GARDEN.]

+Pont St. Louis, Bennet's Garden+, Hamlets of +Grimaldi+ and +Ciotti+.--At the east end of the Garavan is the boundary between France and Italy, a narrow ravine with cliffs 215 ft. high, spanned by a bridge of one arch 72 ft. wide. From this, on the first projecting point, are an Italian custom-house station and the two entrances into the Bennet Garden. The lower entrance is just before reaching the top of the point, the other is by the path ascending from the point to Grimaldi. The upper entrance is by the side of the square tower converted into a villa. The garden on terraces is an oasis among cliffs, rocks, and stones, and is chiefly remarkable for the number of English garden flowers in full bloom in the middle of winter. The views from the walks are charming.

The continuation of the path, or rather stair, up the steep rocky hill leads to Grimaldi, a few straggling cottages among olive and lemon trees. After Grimaldi the path crosses the top of the ridge, and having pa.s.sed up by the E. or left side of the Vallon St. Louis, ascends the hill, on the top of which is the hamlet of Ciotti (1090 ft.), consisting of some 20 houses compactly grouped together. N.E. from Ciotti is Mt.

Belinda, 1837 ft.

[Headnote: LA MORTOLA. HANBURY GROUNDS.]

+La Mortola+, about 2 m. E. from Garavan. The Menton and Ventimiglia omnibus pa.s.ses through Mortola by the gate (200 ft. above the sea) of the +Hanbury Grounds+, consisting of 99 acres, sloping down to the beach by terraces. Large olive trees occupy the larger portion, while in the more sheltered nooks are palms, orange and lemon trees. On a level with the house, the Palazzo Orengo, 150 ft. below the entrance, is the Pergola, a charming walk covered with trelliswork supported by ma.s.sive pillars, up which climb above 100 different species of creeping plants.

Queen Victoria visited the grounds on the 25th March 1882. An excellent view of the house and grounds, as well as of Ventimiglia and Bordighera, is had from the stone seat a little below the Mortola cross, on the highest part of the road, a little to the W. of Mortola. For time and conditions of admission into the Hanbury Grounds apply to the Palmaro Bank, 17 R. St. Michel. The generous founder and father of the present owner died a few years ago. Just beyond is the Piano di Latte, one of the most favoured little valleys in the Riviera. Mortola is nearly an hour's drive from Bordighera.

[Headnote: LES MOULINS. MONTI.]

The most important drive towards the interior is to +Sospel+, 14 m. N., on the road between Nice and Cuneo by the Col di Tenda (see p. 182).

Excellent carriage-road all the way, ascending by the western or railway station side of the Carrei. In the lower part of the valley are large plantations of lemon trees. To the left of the road near the octroi are Les Moulins olive-oil mills, with four stages of water-wheels. 4 m.

farther up the valley of the Carrei, on a eminence considerably above the stream, are the church and straggling village of +Monti+. The bridle-road that descends here to the Carrei crosses over to Castellar, well seen on the opposite side. About a mile beyond Monti, opposite the part of the road where it makes a sudden bend to the left, is seen a small stone bridge on the other side of the Carrei. This bridge crosses the stream that forms the cascade called the Gourg-d'Ora.

[Headnote: HERMIT'S GROTTO.]