Transavia has announced its first five domestic routes that include a new run between Nice Côte d’Azur and Nantes Atlantique airports starting in November.
Transavia offers first domestic flight from Nice
Day: 17 September 2020
Ever Monaco 2020
Ever Monaco, the first event to take place at the Grimaldi Forum since the health crisis hit, has been a great success, with two particular unveilings attracting plenty of attention.
Initially planned for May, Ever Monaco was rescheduled for the 10th to 12th September and – thanks to dedicated organisers and loyal exhibitors – brought together more than 40 of the biggest players in sustainable mobility and renewable energies.
With strict health measures in place, it also welcomed thousands of visitors and industry professionals who came to discover the latest trends in sustainable mobility and renewable energies.
Ever Monaco was the first event to take place at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco’s largest exhibition and congress centre, since the lockdown was lifted. Both the event and the building had obtained the ‘Monaco Safe’ label – a measure of protection for visitors, exhibitors and all those present. A cap of 800 people was also in force.
Prince Albert once again showed his support for the ecological event, making two official visits before attending the annual lunch at the Club des Voitures Ecologiques, which brings together political figures and industrialists from Paris to try to advance the issue of clean mobility and all that surrounds it.
Minister of State Pierre Dartout also visited the event, while pressing issues were addressed at round tables organised alongside Ever Monaco by respected speakers.
“Whether two or four wheels, or even water-based thanks to the partnership we have with the Monaco Yacht Club, the transport industry is increasingly turning its attention to carbon-free mobility based on electric propulsion,” said Ever President Bernard Fautrier. “The history of our event, which is celebrating its 15th edition this year, shows the extent to which Ever Monaco has played a pioneering role, providing visitors the opportunity to come and share Monaco’s commitment in this field since 2006.”
Mr Fautrier thanked the exhibitors who trusted organisers despite the difficult context. “The success of this anniversary edition proves that high-level events can be held in strict compliance with health rules,” he added.
Highlights
Voxan Motors, a part of Monaco’s acclaimed Venturi Group, showcased its high-performance electric motorcycle, the Voxan Wattman, that it will use for its latest world speed record in 2021.
The futuristic-looking vehicle, which will be driven by six-time world champion Max Biaggi, was a huge hit with visitors.
As was the 1954 Sunbeam Alpine Mark III, transformed into a hybrid vehicle by ASEM (Association Smart Electric Monaco) and unveiled by Prince Albert. It is the same model that his mother Grace Kelly drove in the 1955 Alfred Hitchcock film ‘To Catch a Thief’. A screening of the film followed the unveiling.
Curious visitors and industry professionals took the opportunity to test the latest electric innovations, including the Honda e and Honda Jazz Hybrid, and the new Mini SE Electric.
Amongst the big names in mobility was start-up Two Roule, which promotes the responsible use of e scooters. Considering half a million people now ride electric scooters on French roads, it seems absurd that proper training and safety courses are not standard practice.
Rounding out Ever Monaco 2020 was an electric backhoe for public works and artworks by Carl Jaunay created from recycled materials and objects.
Watch the highlight of this year’s EVER Monaco event…
https://www.instagram.com/p/CE_vdljotE-/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Ever Monaco gallery by Monaco Life – click on the pictures below to enlarge…
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Monaco's new intimate fine dining experience
Chef Antonio Salvatore has set free his artistic flair for lovers of fine cuisine, introducing a new gastronomic concept at one of Monaco’s oldest and most respected restaurants, Rampoldi.
Ideally nestled in the heart of Monte Carlo’s glamorous Carré D’Or, Rampoldi has been a favourite among the Princely family, celebrities and locals since 1946.
And it’s not hard to understand why.
The restaurant welcomes guests through its doors like an Italian family opens its home to loved-ones. Plush lounge seating, crisp white table cloths, an “open” kitchen, a large bar straight out of an Italian trattoria… the atmosphere is retro, classy and cosy.
And like every good Italian home, food is at the heart and soul of Rampoldi – much like chef Antonio Salvatore himself.
Born in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, an area famous for its produce, Antonio was already working in restaurants by the age of 12.
“In my village of around 2,000 people, everybody knew how to cook something and everything was handmade – tomato sauce, pickled vegetables, wine…” says the chef fondly. “Tradition is the basis of everything I do here, I just do it with finesse and the finest ingredients.”
At age 14, Antonio went to hotelier school to learn everything he possibly could about the industry. From there, he quickly rose through the ranks, eventually working under Michelin starred maestro Juan Pablo Felipe at Madrid’s El Chaflán, then was head hunted by Italy’s Nino Graziano to run Semifreddo-Mulinazzo in Moscow.
“I did a lot of travelling – London, Spain, Canada, Moscow,” reflects Antonio. “I think it is important for a chef to understand many different cultures.”
These experiences are played out on the plate in his creative reinterpretation of traditional Mediterranean recipes, like the “Rampoldi” beef tartare topped with premium caviar.
For me, it was the gazpacho, elevated by a medley of Spring vegetables and sauteed prawns; the deliciously plump scallops with subtle hints of vanilla and black truffle; and the citrus mouse disguised as a picture-perfect Menton lemon.
The menu is as generous as you would expect from an Italian, with everything from pizza and pasta to lobster and flame grilled, 35-day aged, Prime Black Angus Tomahawk steak.
But anyone who knows Antonio understands that he will always propose something special, a dish created from the day’s freshest ingredients, served just how you like it.
“It is very important for me to look after the locals,” says Antonio. “Monaco is small, you know everybody, so it is impossible to have a restaurant and say ‘I will only cook what I want to cook’. My concept is a family restaurant, and the door is open for everybody.”
But as delicious and delightful as Rampoldi is, Antonio Salvatore wanted to offer something more, something intimate and special, something that could take him one step closer to his dream.
In the depths of the restaurant, where once lived Rampoldi’s exclusive Cigar Club, is now a seductive dining room for guests of La Table d’Antonio Salvatore.
Featuring just five tables, each dressed with exclusive Rampoldi-signature tableware, La Table d’Antonio Salvatore promises intimacy, privacy and a whole lot of gastronomy.
“I saw the potential in this beautiful room, so I created something exclusive, with only a handful of tables and a higher level of cuisine. A very small number of people in the world were brave enough to open a gastronomic restaurant during Covid, and I was one of them,” smiles the chef.
The room is still lined with stunning wooden chests reserved for club members to store their prized cigars or favourite whiskey. Look closely and you will find the Royal Crest of House Grimaldi on a chest belonging to Prince Albert II of Monaco, further confirmation of the Princely family’s long held ties with Rampoldi.
It seems only fitting, in this regal setting, that Antonio takes the opportunity to elevate the cuisine that he so passionately serves upstairs.
Guests can choose from an a la carte menu or be surprised with a six or eight course degustation menu and matching wines.
“It is the same food, the same quality, just delivered to the plate more creatively,” reveals Antonio. “Upstairs, for example, we serve a classic tonnata, but downstairs it is a little more refined. It is gastronomic.”
The service is also next level, with two servers for just five tables and a wine fridge filled with the finest French and Italian labels.
It all just begs the question: “Does this mean you are chasing a Michelin star Antonio?”
“Yes, of course I want one,” he answers without hesitation. “For upstairs as well. But down here, I feel like it is an evolution. I don’t want to give up my traditions, but I want people to know about Rampoldi.”
If anyone doesn’t know about Rampoldi, which I find a little hard to believe, then La Table d’Antonio Salvatore is the perfect excuse to discover, or rediscover, this iconic restaurant where heritage meets innovation, where one falls in love or closes an important business deal, and where Antonio Salvatore’s artistic flair is able to shine brilliantly.
Gallery: Click on the photos below to enlarge…
Photos courtesy of Rampoldi
Grimaldi Forum shines light on childhood cancer
The Grimaldi Forum will be illuminated in gold evening during the month of September as part of the Shine Gold initiative, supporting those who suffer or have suffered with childhood cancer.
Shine Gold is a project developed by the European Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE), who began by lighting up emblematic sites in Belgium. The popularity of the initiative has spread and is now being played out in cities across the continent.
The name Shine Gold comes from the universal symbol for raising awareness of this paediatric disease, the gold ribbon.
The Grimaldi Forum took up the torch in order to highlight the Flavien Foundation, Monaco’s first association to battle against childhood cancers and other rare diseases.
For SIOPE’s part, they hope to remind people that there are children fighting for their lives all year, not just in September, and wishes to put a spotlight on them and those who are in the struggle with them.
“During September, and throughout the year, we honour the children and young people battling cancer, the families who care for them, the healthcare professionals and their caregivers, the survivors, the children who lost their lives, and the scientists dedicated to beating childhood cancer,” their website states.
For more information on SIOPE, go to https://siope.eu/shinegold. To find out more about the Flavien Foundation, visit their site at www.fondationflavien.com or on Facebook @FondationFlavien and also by following the Hashtag #Septembreenor.