Morning in Menton
In April 2024, I finally returned to a place that I’d wanted revisit for many years — Menton, France. I had first visited Menton in 2015, during my first trip to the Côte d’Azur. We had flown to Nice and taken the train to Menton for a brief visit. Menton sits along the coast and is the last town along the coast before crossing into Italy. It felt like a special place to me, and I looked forward to returning. It took a little longer than expected, but I ended up spending three nights in Menton during this year’s Spring Break trip.
We spent the first few nights of our trip in Nice, then took the train roughly 40 minutes east to Menton. We had a small apartment in the old town, and I enjoyed spending my time exploring and photographing the town. On our first day, I climbed up into the hills and found a wonderful viewpoint which showcased the town from above. The beauty of this location was enhanced by blooming wisteria, which was wound across some of the rooftops. There was also a large pergola at the viewpoint which was covered with wisteria. I decided this would be a great location for a sunrise photo.
The next morning, I rose before dawn and climbed up the hill and positioned myself at the viewpoint. I had the place to myself and enjoyed watching the light change and brighten as the sun rose. Some nice pink hues scattered through the atmosphere, and I took this photo:
In addition to this composition, I moved backward and worked in the wisteria dangling from the pergola:
At such close range, the wisteria becomes unfocused, but I like the way it frames the town.
I waited until the sun was up, with the light raking across the town. It was quite beautiful.
I’ll have more photos to share from Menton and Nice in future posts.
