Across the Mediterranean is a stretch of shore that no traveler in Europe should miss. It is called “The Riviera,” and it extends from Cannes (kahn) to Ventimiglia (ven-tee-meel´-yah), thence to Spezia (spet´-see-ah), beyond Genoa (jen´-o-ah); the former section French, the latter Italian. From one end to the other is a chain of health resorts, some most fashionable, others the very opposite; the latter on that account more desirable to those who wish peace and quiet. Even in the most retired spots, however, there is no escape from the honk-honk of the motorcars; for Riviera highways are the favorite touring roads of southern Europe. [Illustration: LOOKING TOWARD MENTONE _Mentone belonged to Monaco until 1861. It is beautifully situated on the Golfe de la Paix, consisting of two bays separated by a rocky promontory._] Beginning at Cannes, the necklace of the sea contains such jewels as Antibes (ong-teeb´), Nice (nees), Villefranche-sur-Mer (veel-frongsh-soor-mare´), Beaulieu (bo-lee-eh´), Monaco (mon´-ah-ko), Monte Carlo, and Mentone (men-to´-ne). These are followed by the Italian section,--Ventimiglia, Bordighera (bor-dee-gay´-rah), Ospedaletti, San Remo (ray´-mo), Alassio (ah-lahs´-see-o), Savona (sah-vo´-nah), Pegli (pel´-yee), and Genoa. This section is called the Riviera di Ponente (po-nen´-teh), followed by Riviera di Levante (le-vahn´-te) to the east of Genoa,--Nervi (ner´-vee), Recco (rek´-ko), Santa Margherita Ligure (lih-goor´-eh), Rapallo (rah-pahl´-lo), Sestri Levante, and Spezia. The French section is more fully developed, and therefore more comfortable and fashionable. The Italian section, while beautiful, leaves much to be desired by the ordinary tourist. There nestles in the southeast corner of France a tiny little principality called Monaco, the most remarkable place of its kind in the world. MONTE CARLO [Illustration: MONTE CARLO _The front of the Casino._] [Illustration: MONACO _The palace of the Prince of Monaco, and in the background the “Tête de Chien” or “Dog’s Head Mountain.”_] It is only about eight square miles in area, and contains nineteen thousand inhabitants. Strange as it may seem, there are no taxes there, as the Société des Bains de Mer, which is simply a name for the society or company that runs the Casino gambling tables at Monte Carlo, pays the tribute. From the millions of francs paid by this society to the Prince of Monaco and his government every year, the natural inference is that most of the visitors to Monte Carlo get nothing except experience.