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Month: February 2020

Saving the Med's heritage sites

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/02/2020

Major accomplishments in preserving the Mediterranean’s rich cultural heritage will be highlighted at the upcoming RIMM meeting, which brings together experts from several different fields of study. 

Every two years, experts gather for the Monaco and Mediterranean International Meetings (RIMM) to discuss challenges and potential solutions for problems facing the many cultural legacies in need of conservation protection, reconstruction or rehabilitation in the Mediterranean region.  

The theme for this year’s Monaco and Mediterranean International Meetings at the Oceanographic Museum is ‘Acting for heritage’, named in honour of the increasing number of actions that are being implemented to protect the cultural inheritances of the Mediterranean regions.  

This heritage, both tangible and intangible, are of great concern because without these precious resources, history will be lost forever, and with it the ability to share cultural details in concrete or easily understandable ways.

Historians, philosophers, archaeologists, architects and personalities from the political world and civil society will address issues at four round table meetings, reporting on their own personal accomplishments in terms of conservation, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.  

The topics of the four discussions, spread out over the 12th and 13th of March, are Mediterranean heritage: between inheritances and prospects for the future; Heritage in tension: protection strategies and new governance; collaborative heritage; Monaco facing its history, and finally, A Living Word with the Tunisian filmmaker Ferid Boughedir, followed at 8:00 pm by his film ‘Halfaouine, the Child of the Terraces’.

HSH Prince Albert II will officially open the event on Thursday 12th March at 10:30am, alongside Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay and Xavier Darcos, Chancellor of the Institute of France.

Entry to the conference is free to the public, though registration is required by emailing rim.reservation@gmail.com.

 
Photo: A castle in Italy, source Pixabay

Monaco’s Medieval adventures

by: Cassandra Tanti
18/02/2020

Knights in shining armour, clashes between heroic warriors and gallant chivalrous acts were alive and well for one day only last Saturday at the Buhurt Prime medieval combat championships played out under the Chapiteau in Fontvieille.
Ten international teams gathered for the event which featured ten-minute rigorous combats. Groups of five against five opponents battled it out in a modern medieval showdown where hand to hand combat ruled and swords, shields and axes flew with wild abandon in a specially made round arena reminiscent of times long since passed.
The armour and weaponry were completely historically accurate, crafted according to designs from the Middle Ages. The fighters had one goal: to stay on their feet. To hit the ground meant the player was vanquished. In addition to the need to stay upright against opponents, they also had to avoid obstacles, such as fallen comrades, in the ring.

The protective gear worn by the fighters was not allowed to be taken off at any time during the matches. The rules on this were stringent and the referees extremely attentive, ensuring no one got seriously injured.
By the time the combatants reached the semi-finals, they had already endured a long day of fighting, but the excitement of the spectators ratcheted their intensity up a few notches. The last four teams standing were Bear Paw, Old Friends, Western Tower and White Company.
Bear Paw took out Old Friends and Western Tower defeated White Company, leading to an all-Russian finale. In the end, it was Bear Paw who came out the victors, followed by Western Tower with Old Friends taking third.
Buhurt Prime was sponsored by Monaco’s boutique jeweller Vitale 1913, who created the medals and awards for the exciting competition.
“We were excited to sponsor this event for different reasons,” Alberto Vitale told Monaco Life. “Firstly, both my grandfathers – Alberto Vitale and Domenico Brizio – were knights for the Catholic Church, and secondly I personally believe that, in our era, we should remember the value of the Middle Ages.”
 
 
Photos by Max Voshchanov
 
 
 

Miss March: bespoke fashion with a kick

by: Alessandra Vicedomini
18/02/2020

What a lucky girl I am! I was invited for a private walk through to pre-view the new Miss March Collection before the opening cocktail at the sumptuous boutique Monte-Carlo Forever in the Metropole Shopping centre; sparkling moments literally throwing me back to my younger years when I took on the creative direction of my family brand Vicedomini – an exciting mix between flash-back and déjà-vu.
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The beauty, freshness and passion that super young designer Michelle Marozzi exudes are perfectly reflected in her Made in Monaco creations. You can certainly see sophistication and femininity, yet her style is clean, well defined and easy at the same time.

Michelle Marozzi (centre) with her mother Paola Orsenigo and Michel Dotta

She refers to the aesthetic of trendy teens and targets fashionistas in their 20s, although I feel fully entitled to state that her fashion covers much more than youngsters thanks to the distinguished choice of all things white, simple, neat lines, tartans and coloured tweeds, which definitively applies to all ages. It is timeless.

Such a talent and success-to-be is not surprising when you consider she speaks four languages perfectly, studied fashion marketing and BA Global Management in London, and her mother studied at Maranogoni’s in Milan and had a career as a designer and buyer working for many Italian maisons.
Elisabetta Gregoraci and Michelle Marozzi

Armed with such a seducing background, Michelle could have easily been tempted to go big on opulent designs. Instead, she doubles down on practicality and designs everything wearable.

Last season in general was so much about colour and volume in those big dresses that I almost rejected the idea of fully accepting the trend while assisting the main shows in Milan and Paris.
Flicking through Miss March’s best sellers, I was captured by the simplicity of pieces you can wear in the day and will take you right through to the evening.

My favourite? The midnight blue and black two pieces options, shorts or pleated skirts, developed in cotton tartan or monochrome tweeds, pulled in at the waist with sculptural cropped tops, that can be hushed up for evening with precious accessories.

I can see the street-style set on young beauty queens wearing high–waisted culottes with knee-high boots, or sophisticated young mums dressing it down with flats or pic sandals.
 
Fashion Designer Alessandra Vicedomini is Monaco Life‘s fashion contributor, keeping readers up to date on all things couture.
Top photo: Alessandra Vicedomini wearing Miss March
Read more:
New York Fashion Week with Alessandra Vicedomini
Paris Fashion Week with Alessandra Vicedomini
Interview: Fashion designer Alessandra Vicedomini
A night at Dolce & Gabbana
Supporting the Guardian Angels charity gala
 
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Preventing the extinction of penguins

by: Cassandra Tanti
17/02/2020

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is helping to prevent the extinction of penguins – the second most endangered seabird species after the Albatross and an emblematic animal of the Southern Hemisphere. 
Among 18 sub-species of penguins, 10 are identified as globally threatened. The Cape penguin, for example, has lost nearly 98% of its 19th century population, with only 50,000 individuals remaining.
The main causes of this drastic decline are the collection of eggs at the beginning of the 20th century, the collection of guano a little later – crucial to the balance of its habitat, and overfishing. Meanwhile, the Galapagos has lost 77% of its penguin population since the 1980s and now accounts for a little less than 2,000 individuals.
The Prince’s foundation worked with Bird Life on a penguin protection project, which took place over a period of 18 months involving several key regions of the Southern Hemisphere from South Africa to Antarctica via the Falklands and New Zealand. The project focused on three main objectives: to improve the amount of information available on penguin populations through tracking and monitoring for researchers and environmentalists, to identify sites which are crucial for the protection of the species, and to create the basis for increasing the global constituency of support for this cause.
As a result of the project, nearly 150,000 bird group placements have been added to international databases, while 12 new IBAs (Important Bird and Biodiversity Conservation Areas) were identified. For the two most threatened sub-species, the Cape penguin and the antipode penguin, the project has also helped to restore penguin habitat as well as the expansion of protected zones, including a site on the Sandwich Islands which saw a protected area extended by nearly 30kms. The seasonal closure of the site for krill fisheries was also extended by two months per year.
According to the foundation, by the end of the project, a solid foundation had been laid for the protection of penguins on an international scale, capitalising on the International Penguin Conference of August 2019. “All this has laid new constructive grounds to generate other adapted and effective actions but also a better participation and collaboration for a sustainable protection of these emperors of the South Pole,” reports the foundation.
 
 

Ugandan runner crushes 5km world record

by: Stephanie Horsman
17/02/2020

At a jaw-droppingly fast 12:51, Joshua Cheptegei has broken the 5km road world record during the weekend’s Monaco Run.

Blowing the former record set only a month ago by Kenyan Rhonex Kipruto away by 27 seconds, the Ugandan long-distance phenom was too fast to even be a pace setter at last weekend’s Monaco Run.

After the starting gun went off, the current cross country and 10,000 metre track world champion wasted no time getting the jump on the pack and sped passed the first kilometre mark in just over two and a half minutes.

The 23-year-old Cheptegui finished 27 seconds ahead of second place Jimmy Gressier from France and Great Britain’s Nick Goolab, who nabbed the bronze coming in at 13 minutes and 27 seconds.

Cheptegui’s latest world record continues the back and forth between he and Kipruto, who broke the 5km world record in January whilst running a 10km in Valencia. The two men have been swapping world records over recent months creating excitement in the running world and wondering who will top who next.

He first gained notoriety in 2018 when he shaved eight seconds off the 15km world record at the NN Zeven Heuvenloop race in the Netherlands, followed the next year by taking the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Denmark. This new record certainly starts off the sprinter’s year on a high note.

In order to set the 5km record, the Ugandan ran an average of two minutes and 34 seconds per kilometre or 15.4 seconds per 100 metres. He is the only man from his country to set four world records.

 
Photo: Monaco Run Facebook page
 

Heartbreak for Roca Team

by: Stephanie Horsman
17/02/2020

After 10 wins in a row in Leader’s Cup matches, AS Monaco Basketball suffered an agonising loss in a last minute nail-biter under the marquee of the Disney Arena against Dijon Saturday night.

The game was evenly matched from the get-go, and neither team was about to relent. The entire first half was a cat and mouse between Roca Team and JDA Dijon, with no one ever clearly having an upper hand, though there were some magnificent plays by JJ O’Brien, Dee Bost and Eric Buckner.

Toward the end of the first half, Anthony Clemmons landed a fantastic shot from the line, followed by a beauty from Norris Cole, ending the half with a comfortable 47-42 lead for the red and Whites. 

After the break, the lead was increased to the largest of the game with Monaco ahead 51-42, but from there the tide began to turn. Dijon went on a massive offensive push and for four minutes, Monaco didn’t get a single ball through the hoop, whilst their opponents played catch up making it a nearly even match.

By the end of the third quarter, the Roca Team were trailing, but only by two points. But Dijon launched a massive attack and pulled ahead by six points. With only two and a half minutes left, Monaco clawed their way back to a three point spread, though still at a deficit.

Fast forward to nine seconds left on the clock and Dijon’s Sulaimon made one out of two free throws, leaving Monaco behind by a basket. A Dee Bost-Norris Cole play with two seconds left equalised the score and the crowds went wild.

Less than a second remained and through some unbelievable stoke, Solomon recovered the ball from Julien and alley-ooped the ball in, giving Dijon the last second win.

Coach Obradovic was graceful in defeat, as only a man who rarely suffers it can be. He said of the match: “We must first congratulate our opponent, who deserved this victory, this place in the final. They played with enormous confidence. It was a very good match. For us, the 3rd quarter cost us a little. Offensively, we didn’t find the means to score baskets easily. But one cannot complain too much.”