Vintimille or Vengtimiglia

The Riviera Antibes The Site The Mobile Home Where to Visit How to get There How to get About What's the Cost Contacts

In French it's Vintimille. The Italian is Vengtimiglia The first town in Italy has a lot going for it but some cons as well. For: Beautiful station. So Mussolini! A wonderful Italian feel. So un-french for a change. Enormous market - Pay in Euros, dollars or almost anything. Buy good counterfeit goods. Cheap booze especially spirits. Italian restaurants. You can get ripped off - adds to the excitement! Nice people car parking is cheap   Against: How can it be so crummy? Where do all those taxes go? Corruption? Surely not! The horses head in my bed has suggested I say no more. You can get ripped off, but most people don't. Parking can be difficult as it gets very busy and I do mean very!   Watch out for rip off restaurants on the front. 7.50 euros for a pizza - great - 7.50 euros for a glass of fizzy water! It has the biggest market in all Europe every Friday! Cheap leather stuff, some good dodgy Rolex, Hermes etc. watches, scarfs. Watch the illegal(?) immigrants selling naughty stuff, then get chased by the police. Bargain with them after the police have gone. How low can you get the price? Be careful! The Police can, in theory, confiscate any counterfeit stuff and fine you at the frontier. Never seen it happen but I know it does. The police have their own inimitable methods. We once saw a shop lifter being arrested. You really don't want to get caught shop lifting! There are some good restaurants. Go back into the town from the market. We've had some memorable pasta and escalopes and met some wonderful characters. The tables are so close that often you can't help talking to the neighbours... but only if you want to. This is the road looking towards the station from the market.