Rue Saint-Michel

You’re now walking along Rue Saint-Michel, one of Menton’s main shopping streets. It’s full of life, with cafés, restaurants, and little shops selling all kinds of local specialities. It’s the perfect spot to taste the region’s flavours—especially anything made with Menton’s famous lemon, the city’s pride and joy. Be sure to take some lemony treats home with you as a sunny souvenir from just a few steps away from Italy! Ever wondered how this golden fruit became the symbol of Menton? According to legend, when Eve was banished from the Garden of Eden with Adam, she took a golden fruit with her. As they passed through the bay of Menton, Adam, worried about angering God, told her to get rid of it. But instead, Eve planted it right here—and that’s how Menton became the city of lemons. In reality, lemon cultivation began around the end of the Middle Ages. Nicknamed the “golden fruit,” lemons thrived in Menton’s mild, sunny climate and quickly built a reputation for their amazing quality. Menton lemons are sweet, low in acidity, incredibly fragrant, and they keep well too. Their intense flavour and juiciness set them apart from lemons grown in Corsica, Spain, or even Italy. That reputation grew fast. By the 18th and 19th centuries, lemon trading was booming, with over 35 million lemons exported every year across Europe and even to North America. People already knew about the lemon’s health benefits back then, and citrus farming—what the locals call “agrumiculture”—became the backbone of Menton’s economy for more than a century. But by the mid-1800s, tourism, urban expansion, and plant diseases gradually brought large-scale lemon production to an end. It was the close of a golden age, but one that left a lasting legacy in the region. In 1933, the Lemon Festival was born, and in the 1990s, the local government gave lemon growing a fresh start by supporting farmers and planting thousands of new trees. In 2015, the Menton lemon earned PGI status—Protected Geographical Indication. To this day, this golden fruit is much more than just something to eat. It’s a symbol of sunshine, health, and the very spirit of Menton.