The Cathedral of Monaco is hosting an exhibition of extraordinary embroidered icons in conjunction with the Russian Consulate.
From 13th February to 3rd April, the Cathedral of Monaco will be showing a series of embroidered iconic images made available by the Prikosnovenie Workshop in Moscow. The works of art have deep roots in Russian Orthodox Church history. They are lovingly hand stitched with embellishments of gold thread and precious stones and were primarily used as encouragements for soldiers about to go into battle or heading off to military campaigns.
Embroiderers of Russia are world-renowned and many can be linked to the great families of Russia, including representatives from princely and czarist families.
This great art is being revived almost single-handedly by Natalia Gorkovenko at the ‘Prikosnovenie’ Workshop (touch in English). She is one of the first people in modern Russia to become interested in making creations using this art form. The workshop’s pieces are becoming highly valued by collectors and churches with exhibitions being launched all over the world.
Since a successful exhibit at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in 2012 where more than 40 of these sacred iconic images were displayed as modern art, their popularity has continued to increase, spurring similar shows in the USA, Paris, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Greece and, of course, Russia.
The works are hauntingly beautiful and clearly painstakingly created, with each bead, stitch and jewel hand sewn “just so” so as to create these modern day masterpieces for us all to enjoy.
It’s been less than nine months since the Prince’s government unveiled the Extended Monaco programme, yet the initiatives that have been implemented in that time are nothing short of impressive.
A progress report on the first stages of the Extended Monaco programme have been presented to the press and the figures show the Principality is definitely on the right track.
The aim of Extended Monaco is to shift to an entirely digital transformation, offering a new cycle of economic prosperity, enhancing quality of life and making public service even more valuable.
Frederic Genta, Inter-ministerial Delegate in Charge of the Digital Transition, is responsible for implementing the programme and in 2019, roughly 30 new procedures or actions were implemented, including great strides in e-education, e-administration and smart mobility practices.
The hard work has shown some solid results. The Principality’s position in the United Nations ranking on connected states has risen an impressive 100 places. On top of that, the digital economy now represents a turnover of €826 million with growth of 27% between 2013 and 2018.
Three new laws have made “turning digital” possible in daily life and have turned Monaco into a connected city. More than 1,500 soft mobility routes are calculated every day by City Mapper, over 1,000 requests for local information are carried out daily, and 2,000+ journeys per day are made by electric bikes via MonaBike’s app.
Moreover, every student in Monaco is trained for one hour per week in coding – a world first – while educational guidance is available for students in grades three through 12 with the CAESO app.
A 200 m2 complex has been dedicated to e-education and is equipped with 3-D printers, computers and other digital tools to assist teachers in designing new educational content.
Finally, over 45% of civil servants are now connected via messaging tools, and 1,000 online training modules are available for public officials and agents. All this translates in concrete terms to 1.4 tonnes of paper being saved within the administration.
AS Monaco has announced the arrival of Markus Breglec and Tyson Henly as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Commercial Officer respectively.
Appointed Chief Marketing Officer of AS Monaco, a newly created position, Markus Breglec’s mission will be to define and steer the club’s marketing, digital and communication strategy to ensure the development of the brand, increase its visibility and strengthen the link with fans and partners.
After more than 20 years with leading multinational companies in the sports and technology sectors (Nike, Adidas, Sony), the Bavarian native has a proven track record in the field of marketing and digital media. Markus Breglec
He was vice president of marketing and sponsorship at HTC from 2013 to 2016, including managing the Champions League and Europa League partnership. Markus Breglec then held the position of marketing and media director at the Liverpool FC (2016-2019).
New Chief Commercial Officer of AS Monaco Tyson Henly arrives to develop and lead the club’s commercial and revenue strategy and related structure. With almost 25 years of experience leading the sales and commercialisation of major properties, including the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Euros sponsorship divisions, Tyson Henly brings an international pedigree from both rights owner and media industry across the football and sports industry. Tyson Henly
Tyson has worked for major media groups such as Omnicom and WPP and has held the position of director of sponsorship at UEFA and TEAM marketing.
Throughout his career, the Englishman has collaborated with major brands (Ford, PlayStation, Coca-Cola, Nissan, Sony, Heineken) as a rights owner or agency side advisor and has also delivered major brand deals with Premier League players.
During these years, Tyson Henly has developed an expertise in sales, sponsorship models, commercial contracts, activation and operational delivery and has worked with some of Europe’s top clubs. He now puts these skills at the service of AS Monaco, with the aim of perpetuating and attracting new global partnerships for the coming seasons.
International TV presenter Kristina Guberman shares with Monaco Life Premium Subscribers her favourite hotspots at luxury ski resort Courchevel.
When you imagine a weekend in Courvhevel, it’s natural to picture a pair of skis gliding smoothly on crisp white snow, curving around the most picture-perfect mountains that offer incredible views at every turn.
Although I enjoy the scenery, I’ve never really been a fan of skiing. I can manage a few hours at most, before retiring for the day to enjoy the plethora of other activities I’ve discovered in Courchevel over the years. I imagine I’m not alone, so I’ve decided to share my top five things to do in Courchevel for the not-so-confident skiers.
In French, they call these shoes ‘racquettes’, and they do kind of resemble racquets! You put them over your hiking boots and the metal grips on the soles allow you to hike in deep, slippery and steep conditions without ever feeling like you’re going to fall. My amazing guide from First Tracks took me to a woodland area not far from 1850. We were the only people there, which is unbelievably hard to achieve in Courchevel during peak season! What a relaxing morning – listening to the sounds of nature whilst walking down to a crystal clear lake in between two mountains, and then back up using a different path, admiring various flora and fauna along the way. I’m not gonna lie: the first few steps feel weird. But then you forget you’re wearing shoes at all, and the enjoyment is hard to describe. I highly recommend!
La Cendree
I always say the simplest foods are the hardest to get right, and La Cendree has earned a reputation for serving the best pizza, pasta and fondue in Courvhevel. Even if you go for something like a Margherita or pasta with tomato sauce and burrata, you will still feel like you’re in a family owned restaurant in Italy where everything is homemade with the best of flavours. My favourite part is the fondue dessert: molten Lindt chocolate surrounded by fresh fruit. Yum!
L’Ecorce
L’Ecorce concept store is more than just a place to shop. You can easily spend a whole afternoon there, sipping coffee and nibbling on pastries in their cosy cafe or admiring views of the elegant 1650 from their restaurant. And when you DO feel like shopping (and at L’Ecorce it’s impossible not to), you will find a curated selection of unique home decor, skis, accessories and clothing from some of the top niche brands. What caught my eye most was British brand number 35 who design chic tailored clothing made in London, but also offer a one of a kind leather jacket painting service. This has been so popular, in fact, that L’Ecorce are doing a whole event around it on 27th February. Don’t miss out!
Cap Horn
Located on the slopes, this restaurant is known as Courchevel’s main daytime party spot. Common sights include guests dancing on chairs as confetti comes down from the ceiling, champagne showers as the latest club hits blast away on the sound systems, and truffles sprinkled on virtually everything. Food-wise, I recommend the burrata. Other than that, it’s all about the atmosphere here! I didn’t think I would like it, but it has surprisingly turned out to be one of my favourite spots. Never say never!
Spa
When all that shopping and eating gets tiring (*cough*), there’s no better way to relax than a spa. Favourites include Cheval Blanc spa that only uses Guerlain products, La Mer spa which oozes luxury and serenity whilst also offering mani/pedi/hairdressing services, and Chabichou & Spa, where non resident guests are also welcome.
You can follow my global travels as a TV presenter through my website or instagram: @kristinaguberman https://kristinaguberman.com
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Prince Albert completes historic dive to the ‘Midnight Zone’
Prince Albert is now one of only two people to have reached the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, joining explorer Victor Vescovo for an extreme deep-sea dive in Greece this week.
Prince Albert is truly a head of state like none other. His passion for the ocean and for protecting the planet took him to Greece on Sunday 9th February, where he joined the Caladan Oceanic expedition team led by explorer Victor Vescovo. The scientific team made headlines last year for successfully completing the Five Deeps expedition, diving to the deepest point in each of the world’s five oceans.
“Following up on the success of our mission last year to dive to the bottom of all five of the world’s oceans, we look forward to diving two seas and two oceans in the recently enhanced Limiting Factor on a new series of ‘first’ manned dives,” Vescovo said from Toulon, France, where he had just completed the first phase of the voyage.
At Kalamata, the Prince boarded a first of its kind two-person research submersible and, together with Vescovo, slowly descended into the Calypso Deep, the deepest point in the Mediterranean Sea located southwest of the Peloponnese peninsula. According to research conducted by the Caladan team, no submarine has ever visited the actual bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, making it the “first descent” of this particular deep.
The vessel, the Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor, is the first commercially certified full-ocean-depth submersible. It is being deployed into the ocean depths by the Deep Submergence Support Vessel (DSSV) Pressure Drop, a former US Navy ship specially retrofitted for the expedition. This particular dive was conducting in conjunction with the government of Greece and the scientific organisation Explorations de Monaco.
Prince Albert’s dive started at 8.50am and, just over two hours later at 11.12am, he reached a depth of -5,117 metres – the lowest point of the Mediterranean Sea. By 2pm, Monaco’s head of state and explorer Victor Vescovo returned to the surface.
The ‘Midnight Zone’ has always attracted the interest of both scientists and the general public because it is a part of the world that manages to sustain life, despite being in complete darkness. Using sampling, sensor and mapping technology, scientists expect to identify new species and towering seamounts, and observe manmade impacts, such as climate change and plastic pollution.
There are five phases of the mission. The first, ‘La Minerve’, took place off the coast of Toulon, France, where the team dived to the wreck of French submarine Minerve, which sank in 1968 with all hands. https://www.instagram.com/p/B8O-rIVnh9n/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
‘Calypso Deep’ was the second phase, and to follow will be ‘The Red Sea’, ‘The Indian Ocean’ and ‘The Ring of Fire’, a common name given to the geologically active area that borders the roughly circular Pacific tectonic plate.
The Limiting Factor will then return to the deepest point in the ocean, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, for up to eight scientific and survey dives to all three “pools” that constitute the deep. The team hopes they will be able to execute the first dive by a woman to the bottom of the ocean, with US astronaut Dr. Kathy Sullivan.
Monegasque champion Charles Leclerc has unveiled Ferrari’s new weapon for the 2020 Formula One season, and it’s called the SF1000.
At the Municipal Valli Theatre in Reggio d’Emilie amidst serious fanfare, Formula One drivers Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel theatrically revealed the SF1000, the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team’s newest race car.
Visually, this car isn’t much different than last year’s model, but looks can be deceiving. The new car is thinner, making it more aerodynamic and solving a problem from the team’s cars last season. Moreover, they have updated the chassis, monohull, gearbox and propulsion units to create a better, stronger, faster version of last year’s racers.
The new engine, which employs a novel piston technology and a reworked combustion chamber, can do double duty in that it maintains a power advantage whilst adhering to the new regulations that require two fuel flow sensors. The car has a hefty V6 and 1600cc total displacement, with a maximum RPM of 15,000 revs.
The goal of the revamp is of course to win races. Ferrari has had many wins, but no title since 2008, and they are looking to turn that around this season. Hopes are pinned not only to the new car but to their two stars, Monaco’s Charles Leclerc, who has admitted to being extremely excited to drive the new SF1000, and his teammate Sebastian Vettel, who is seeking his fifth world title and his first with Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc shared the unveiling on his official Instagram page, writing “New season, new car, new overall but same colour.”
