On French Riviera hillsides, the once-dominant Menton lemon gets squeezed by development

By BARBARA SURK and DANIEL COLE
Associated Press

MENTON, France (AP) — When the French Riviera town of Menton prepares to host its lemon festival each year, it needs more than 140 tons of citrus for the showy floats and park displays that attract thousands of spectators. But they won’t use the actual Menton lemon, a prized variety whose fans included King Louis XIV, who enjoyed drinking its juice and bathing in its essential oils. That’s mostly because the high-end lemons are too pricey compared to other varieties. But there would barely be enough, too. The groves that once dominated hillsides have been steadily displaced by hotels and villas as the Riviera became a playground for the wealthy. Now the declining number of growers worry about climate change, too.