Vieille Ville de Vintimille

Vieille Ville de Vintimille

Vieille Ville de Vintimille
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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles691 reviews
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MonacoCharlie
Monaco10 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2013 • Business
Crossing the frontier between France and Italy shouldn't be more than a road sign or a line on your map, but it feels as if it is much more than just an abstraction. There is a palpable change in the atmosphere - the sun seems brighter, the sea bluer and the welcoming smiles of the Italians are more genuine and heart warming - particularly after the more rigid, businesslike attitudes of the French. The great French artist and author Jean Cocteau observed that the French are Italians in a bad mood. Entering into Italy and feeling the warmth, it is hard to disagree.

The Principality of Monaco is unapologetically an extremely expensive place to visit. The price tag, given the reputation of this playground of the rich and famous, seems appropriate. But, if you are on a budget or battling an unfavorable exchange rate, and you are looking for a fulfilling, affordable travel experience, take heart - you are just 4 1/2 miles away from your goal. Take a train or the autoroute and you are there in a matter of minutes.

When you arrive in Ventimiglia you are light years away from France in all the feel good categories: food, fashion and friendliness. The town is on the Gulf of Genoa, at the mouth of the Roya River. It has a population of 55,000 and a deep history; traces of which can still be seen today - particularly in the medieval center of the old city.

The Ligurians held forth until 115 BC when they were conquered by the Romans. The Romans, realizing the importance of the strategic position, constructed vast fortifications - thick walls in a huge defensive square shape with cylindrical towers at each corner - most of which are still standing.

Down through the following centuries the town was besieged by the Byzantines, the Goths, Charlemagne, the Saracens, the Dukes of Savoy and finally, the Genoese. These days all it takes to conquer the old Town is a walk up the hill to the ancient city center. You will be rewarded with spectacular views of the Mediterranean and the new town below.

In the medieval plaza the Church of St. Michael the Arc Angel still stands. It was erected in the 10th century on the foundations of a pagan temple. The Romanesque Cathedral still houses an 11th century Baptistery, excavated during the last restoration project. The library has the largest collection of 17th century manuscripts and books in Italy.

Despite all the impressive history of Ventimiglia, the street market is the most famous weekly event on the Riviera. Each Friday there is an amazing transformation that takes place along the entire length of the beachfront of the new town. Hundreds of stalls are set-up during the night; and when the sun rises, the sight of the multicolored market that sprung-up overnight like fine Italian mushrooms, stretching for hundreds of meters along the sea, is breathtaking.

At 7 AM the people start streaming into the town, swelling the populations by the thousands. Parking spaces are snapped-up quickly and traffic jams form, stretching all the way back to the autoroute. French, English, Italian, German and tourists from all over Europe stroll through the market, pausing at each stall to inspect the goods - all conducted to the tune of the merchants hawking their wares.

On display is a vast variety of items. Italian leather goods - bags, shoes, gloves and belts; clothing for men, women and children, kitchen implements, linens, jewelry and watches; side by side with stalls selling sun-dried tomatoes, cheeses, ham and pasta. Not all the merchandise is Italian or of the finest quality. Nor are the prices universally a bargain. You will find Chinese knockoffs of just about everything. Caveat Emptor certainly is the rule, but a discerning eye can find excellent bargains.

There is another market in Ventimiglia that is as special and exciting a place for anyone who loves good food. It is the covered market, just meters from the beachfront, and it houses the finest and freshest produce, fruit, vegetables, cheeses, pasta, meat, fresh seafood and flowers that the region has to offer. The sights, sounds and scents are the market are purely technicolor to the eyes and mouthwatering to the senses. The airplane hangar sized building that houses the market is open 7 days a week.

The Roia or Roya river, as it makes it's journey from the high Alps Maritime to the Gulf of Genoa, divides the town into two parts - the new town and the hilltop medieval city. The waters around the mouth of the river provide a home for swans, ducks and migratory birds throughout the year. Restaurants line the beachfront along both sides of the bridge. They feature local sea food and Italian dishes of the region. Stella Mare restaurant, located on the old town side of the bridge, is particularly recommended for it's excellent food, reasonable prices and charming location - directly on the beach. Keep in mind that it is extremely difficult to find a bad meal in Italy.

The region around Ventimiglia features some unique destinations. There is a Roman theatre from the 2nd century just on the outskirts of town. A short drive away to Mortola is the world famous Hanbury Gardens - built by Sir Thomas Hanbury in 1867. It is regarded as one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. It features lush Mediterranean vegetation, sculptures, fountains, pools, pillars, columns, stone benches and temples - 5,800 species in all, covering 18 hectares. The Villa Hanbury sits 103 meters above the sea. Built with the fortune amassed by Sir Hanbury while trading in Shanghai, it still stands as a beautiful and gracious spot to visit.

In the direction of the French border and Menton, there is a most dramatic natural rock formation, directly on the coastline. Balzi Rossi is a series of seven enormous red rock grottoes overlooking the sea. The caves housed homo-sapiens and cro-magnons dating back 250,000 years. Remains of elephants and hippos have been found, along with human skeletons. There is a museum where the skeletons are displayed, along with the famous sculpted figures of Venus found at the site.

Ventimiglia is a special place for visitors to experience. You will take many memories home with you, along with your shopping bags.
Written June 15, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jazzybab
111 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2014 • Friends
We spent a grand total of TWENTY MINUTES in this town. The tourist style shop inside the station has the rudest most unhelpful staff and the locals don't feel any shame in barging past you in the queue AND STILL ARE SERVED!!!! The racism is overt and they don't care if you know it.
We walked out of the station and as far as the square and back again. I was glad to leave. The area is shabby, full of dog poop left on the pavement, and very rude locals.
To be honest, Brighton has more to offer, and the people are a whole lot friendlier there. It's a cheap place to visit by train, from Monte Carlo a ticket costs €4.80, and only takes 24 minutes to get there, but it's not worth the bother. If you're staying in Nice or Monte, pay €26 and go to Genoa instead.
Written November 5, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TummyIsADiva
New York City, NY58 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2013 • Couples
We are in Nice for a week, and I love to go to all of the little markets. Hubs and I went to the Friday market in Ventimiglia, as a short detour before going to Monaco. Yes, the market is indeed what everyone says it is, it feels like miles of purses, clothing, scarves, cashmere, shoes, and tablecloths. Some of the booths have better quality items than others. There were some very high quality leather and cashmere items being sold at the market. Also some cheap fakes.

In addition to clothing, there were a lot of Italian products, such as meats, cheeses, dried tomatoes, pasta, and jams and jellies. Many of the vendors offered samples of their wares. Everything looked delicious, and was much cheaper than I saw a day or so ago at the food market in Nice.

If you are going to go to this market, go early. The train from Nice takes about one hour. We arrived in Ventimiglia at about 10am, and it was quite crowded. I cannot imagine how crowded this place is in the middle of summer.

One of the things I liked about this market is seeing how the locals shopped here. This is where real people shop for clothing and some of their food. So, make a morning of it, then get some coffee and lunch. I highly recommend the pizza.
Written September 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PrestonGuild
United Kingdom55,320 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2011
We did a day trip to Ventimiglia twice, that's how much we liked it. From the train station we strolled the old town, went to its indoor market, sampling the locally grown produce such as the fruit and vegetable and on Fridays there is the large outdoor market. The outdoor market is one of the largest about and its worth browsing the stalls, but a lot of it did look like tat.

You can walk along the coast and to the narrow side streets taking in the Italian Riviera architecture. Along the way you can pick up a pizza and a delicious gelato before we returned to Nice.

It was our first trip on Italian soil and we even manage to take in some Roman history which my youngest son was interested in as its was his school project for that year.
Written December 2, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John C J
United Kingdom160 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2013
We stayed in San Remo and got the 15 min train ride along the coast to Ventimiglia which has one of the largest markets on a Friday and also all the shops and restaurants are open. Excellent for a morning visit.
Written March 10, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stannersue S
London, UK79 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2012
It's an institution , very very busy. Outside there are rows and rows of traders selling everything from fake handbags to not bad cashmere.
There's a vegetable market and lovely coffee shops. Have not yet found a lovely restaurant, maybe some one knows one? Everything seems abit touristy. Even though its very near the border of France it feels very Italian.
Worth a visit if only to see the view on the train, the journey is incredible, get the seat next to. The coastline if you can.
Written January 31, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TravelNowSwUsa
SW USA441 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2013 • Couples
Went by train from Antibes this morning to Ventimiglia. You can save a little money by getting the day pass on the train. We paid 35.00 euros for both of us and could travel all day wherever. It is cheaper than the 10.10 euros PP, each way that it would have cost if we bought them separately. Trains run out of Antibes to Ventimiglia every 30 or so minutes. Be sure to sit on the right of the train going and on the left coming back for the best views of the coast.
Liked the market a lot and bought some things. Got a espresso stove top coffee maker for half the price we saw it on Amazon.com, same brand and all. Good deals but you have to shop around as some dealers charge more than others. Did not really see any deals in the food market as we compared prices with the big Carrefour we usually shop at up the hill from the Antibes Port. Did get some good salmon from Norway at a good price (12 euros a kilo). Some liquor was cheaper (Amaretto, Limonchello, Vermouth, Bombay Gin) but others more expensive (some Scotches, Rum). Quite a variety of prices in the different liquor stores and Billa supermarket.
The town itself is cute with some beautiful architecture. The river running through it had huge fish and swans.
Beach is pretty but stoney, not sandy. They are building a marina there now so it will probably get busier. Locals friendly and ready to speak French and English to help out.
Lots of places to eat at. Train station is close to everything. Would definitely go back as a long daytrip as it takes about 1 hour and 20 min. each way on the train from Antibes.
Written January 11, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chris j
Rotherham, England, United Kingdom9 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2013 • Couples
we stayed in nice and went for a day trip by train to ventimiglia just over the border in italy. the trip on the train was pleasant and took 45 minutes at a cost of 14 euros return. on arriving in ventimiglia first impressions were good. very pretty little town. we arrived about 12.30 and the shops were just closing for a few hours. they have a few hours siesta or something. we decided to go to a restaurant for something to eat. i ordered a pizza for 10 euro, it was 7 euro but i paid 3 euro to go maxi. i should have stayed at 7 euro as what i received was the most enormous pizza i have ever seen. it was gorgeous too. only blemish for ventimiglia is it is full of beggars. if you smoke like i do then expext to be pestered by people every 5 minutes asking for a cigarette. a good day out still though
Written November 2, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

2vagabons
picton32 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2012 • Couples
If you are visiting the French Riviera, make sure you go this fascinating market on the border of France and Italy. Located just half an hour from Menton, or about an hour from Nice, do yourself a favour and take the train to Ventimiglia and walk down to the weekly Friday market just five minutes from the train station.
They sell everything under the sun at very reasonable prices. I have picked up whie embroidered linen tablecloths, lovely gold guilted wine glasses, more shawls and. capes that i will admit to, and even large blocks of parmesan cheese.
It has a distinctive Italian feel, and you will be spoiled for choice of restaurants offering typical Italian fare.
All in all, a lovely day out.
Written July 16, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrew B
Chicago, IL219 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2012 • Friends
The market downtown is really nice. Great cheeses and cured meats. Very local feel. Shop and then have lunch. Best to go before 2pm as this place opens early and starts to close by 2pm. Remember if you park, you will need to buy a parking meter ticket from the little blue machines that are near most corners. Otherwise take the train. Much easier.
Written December 20, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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