Castle of Menthon-Saint-Bernard is 20 minutes from the French city of Annecy. The beginnings of this amazing castle go back to the twelfth century. The word Menthon means a house on the rock, and the most prominent feature of it was the presence of a large courtyard where the villagers sought refuge in difficult times. The castle began to resemble its current structure in 1880 when René de Menthon, the great-grandfather of the current owner, built the distinctive towers we see today.