The Italian government has approved a new emergency decree setting out the rules for the country’s reopening over the coming months, including restaurants from next week. However, it doesn’t mean people from Monaco are able to jump over the border for a quick day trip. We explain why.
After a heated debate among ministers, the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Mario Draghi gave the green light to the new package of anti-coronavirus measures on Wednesday, which will be effective from 26th April to 31st July.
As Draghi indicated at a press conference last week, many activities will be allowed to resume only outdoors, while the main restrictions will be lifted in the low-risk areas classified as “yellow zones”.
Restaurants will be able to open for lunch and dinner, but only outdoors, while theatres, museums and cinemas will reopen with some limitations.
The nationwide ban on travel between regions will no longer apply to yellow zones, while people will be allowed to enter and leave areas classified as higher-risk zones using a so-called “green pass”, which will be based on vaccinations, negative tests or recovery from the virus.
Schools and universities will also be allowed to reopen.
The nationwide evening curfew will still apply at 10pm, despite opposition from the right-wing League who had been pushing to postpone the curfew to 11pm to allow people more time to eat dinner in restaurants.
But the easing of restrictions doesn’t mean that residents in Monaco or France will be able to travel freely to Italy for a day of shopping, lunch or to visit friends or family.
The government has not confirmed any plans to relax the current restrictions on travel to Italy and according to the Italian Health Ministry’swebsite, restrictions will remain in force until at least 30th April.
It is still mandatory for visitors to undergo a PCR or antigen test carried out within 48 hours prior to entry into Italy. Regardless of a negative result, visitors must still self-quarantine for five days and take another test at the end of this isolation period.
The tourism minister last week suggested 2nd June as a possible date for restarting non-essential travel, though this has not yet been confirmed.
Photo of Cinque Terre, Italy, by Tamara Malaniy on Unsplash
Applications are now open for the fourth edition of the Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge in June, giving young entrepreneurial environmentalists a chance to create a business tackling the problems faced by the oceans.
The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge is a business concept pitching competition organised by the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, the International University of Monaco, Monaco Impact and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. It began in 2018 as a way to involve young people in creating sustainable businesses centred on ocean protection and awareness.
This year’s competition takes the theme ‘When Circular Economy Saves the Ocean’ and is open to university undergraduates, post-bachelor students and young entrepreneurs who are five years or less out of school, and who have or will have a company created after January 2020. Competitors must be English speakers who have ideas that will positively impact the seas and are willing to participate in the implementation of their ideas if selected by the jury.
To be considered, the applicant submits a business plan, a timeline of milestones in project development and a one minute video presenting the concept by 7th May.
Jurists are looking for plans that have been well-researched and relevant to today’s markets, as well as projects that can be globally implemented and that have a “measurable impact” on the oceans.
The prize and awards include a yearly induction and networking programme for the student’s category, and a check of €15,000 for the start-up’s category.
In May, jurists will choose three finalist teams from each category. The six finalist teams will be invited to Monaco for the finals on 16th June where they will be asked to present their plans intended to make the world a better place to live.
Previous winners include Elynn Yaoting Liu, who found a way to address inflatable balloon pollution, and Juan Felipe del Campo Guerreo and Julien Piveteau who created a phone case made of recycled ocean waste.
The Red and Whites have clinched their spot in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France after a stunning two to nil victory over Olympique Lyonnais on the road Wednesday night.
Just 10 days before Monaco and Lyon meet for a battle in Ligue 1 action, the Red and Whites had a major confidence booster by winning over Lyon and securing themselves a spot in the Coupe de France semi-finals.
The match started off with both sides over-pumped, marked by three yellow cards being handed out to Kevin Volland, just a mere 12 seconds in, as well as to Lyonnais players Sinaly Diomandé and Thiago Mendes in the first 10 minutes of play.
Things settled down a bit after this and the first true attempt on goal was made by Melvin Bard whose shot was batted away by Monaco goalie, Radoslaw Majeki.
The Monaco side then lost Sofiane Diop to an ankle injury after a serious tackle. It was a rough start and all through the first half it was Lyon who made try after try, with Monaco primarily just playing defence to fend off the attacks.
After the half time break, Monaco took the bull by the horns and sprang into action.
Following a penalty on Fodé Ballo-Touré by Diomandé, who was sent off after his second yellow card of the game, it was Wissam Ben Yedder who took the shot and opened scoring for the game.
The two teams were definitely playing aggressive ball, with more run-ins that resulted in cards. It was the ever-cool Ben Yedder who made the next set up, passing the ball to Volland who hit a powerful shot just under the crossbar, zooming past the Lyonnais goalkeeper at 62 minutes in.
This was the last score of the game, though Ruben Aguilar almost made it three at the 74 minute mark. Thus, Monaco earned their semi-final spot in the Coupe de France playoffs.
Monaco and Lyon, ranked number three and four respectively in Ligue 1, have just a single point between them. In fact, the top four teams, which include Lille and Paris Saint-Germain, are each only separated by a point, making this season anyone’s to win.
“We didn’t come to Lyon expecting to have an easy time of things,” said Coach Niko Kovac. “We expected a tough match against one of the best teams in France and Europe, so we expected this kind of game. We had our chances in the second half and we took them so that’s what I will remember most of all about tonight.
“We are going to analyse this match, as Lyon will of course do the same. But I think that this evening we also made some changes, and Lyon did as well. So I imagine that in 10 days the match will be very different and that there will be no repercussions following tonight’s victory.”
Monaco Life with AS Monaco press release, photo by AS Monaco
Prince Albert has handed out awards for the first ever Monegasque International Solidarity Organisation’s Photography Competition in Fontvieille.
By all accounts, the first Monegasque International Solidarity Organisation’s (ISO) Photography Competition was a smashing success. Working with the theme of ‘A sustainable and united perspective’, photographers for 19 of Monaco’s associations went to work to capture images that told stories of the actions taken by the organisations, as well as to raise general public awareness.
The event was officially inaugurated by Prince Albert II, who was present at the prize-giving ceremony held on the Terrasses of Fontvieille on Friday 12th April.
Awards were given in three categories, namely, the Audience Prize, the Grand Jury Prize and the Youth Prize.
After more than 2,700 votes were counted, the Audience Prize, which was selected exclusively by members of the public-at-large, was won by Oasis for Peace for their photo called ‘A solidarity project and a peace project at the FOAP foundation in Columbia’.
The Grand Jury prize was selected by professionals in the world of non-profits and the media. This prize was awarded to AMREF for their photo entitled ‘Maria and her suitcase can change the history of a generation of women’.
Last but not least, the Youth Prize, which was chosen by students from Monaco schools Saint-Charles, FANB, and the School of Fontvieille, was won by the Monaco Humanitarian Collective for their piece called ‘Shh, life is taking back its rights’.
The ISO brings together 49 associations including NGOs, service clubs, foundations and organisation for networking and skill sharing purposes.
Prince Albert will join an exceptional line up of speakers, including teenage activist Greta Thunberg and Pope Francis, for a digital Earth Day summit on Thursday. Here is how you can stream the event live.
To celebrate and raise awareness for the 51st Earth Day on Thursday 22nd April, earthday.org has gathered a diverse lineup of activists, global leaders, musicians, educators, industry leaders, influencers and artists from around the world for the second annual digital livestream event. Discussions, performances, presentations and films will explore the innovative and powerful solutions to ‘Restore Our Earth’.
‘Earth Day Live: Restore Our Earth’ will be streamed live at 12pm ET (6pm Monaco time) on Thursday via earthday.org, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and GEM-TV, a streaming platform founded in Monaco.
The virtual event will be hosted by Founder of Earth Uprising and Youth Climate Activist Alexandria Villaseñor, and Milana Vayntrub, Actress, Comedian, Writer and Director.
As a part of Earthday.org’s partnership with TED Countdown, the digital event will include three original TED Countdown Talks by John Marshall, Cory Combs and Rumaitha Al Busaidi. The program will also feature segments from Education International’s Teach for the Planet: Global Education Summit, Hip Hop Caucus’ We Shall Breathe virtual summit, as well as Earth Uprising’s Youth Speaks Summit.
“For over half a century, hundreds of millions of people from around the globe have taken political and volunteer action on Earth Day, yet multiple accelerating environmental and health crises continue to envelop our planet, impacting everyone but particularly the poor and vulnerable who live among us,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earthday.org. “On behalf of the one billion people who will take part in Earth Day this year, even in the midst of a second year of the pandemic, we demand that the talking stop and that governments and corporations commit to net-zero emissions by 2040 with an interim goal of cutting emissions in half by 2030. Anything less will deprive our children of their right to inherit a habitable planet.”
Among this year’s powerful lineup are Prince Albert II of Monaco, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Actress and Producer Kristen Bell, Award-Winning Conservationist, Photographer and Author Chris Packham, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Youth Climate Activist Greta Thunberg, and Pope Francis.
For more information on Earth Day Live and Earth Day 2021, visit: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2021/
The Metropole Hotel has swung open its doors in spectacular style with a picture-perfect floral installation that immerses guests in the vibrance and beauty of spring. Monaco Life was there for a sneak peak of the lobby’s new showpiece ahead of the hotel reopening on Wednesday.
After closing for a major backhouse renovation in late 2020, the Metropole Hotel reopened its revolving doors on Wednesday with a stunning celebration of the season – a floral scene that is designed to mesmerise guests but which also, perhaps unwittingly, represents the new life that is being breathed into the 135-year-old hotel.
“We have just reopened the hotel after the first of three renovations, which took place completely in the back of house,” Managing Director Serge Ethuin told Monaco Life. “There is nothing new to show our guests who have been anxiously awaiting our reopening, so it was incredibly important that our artistic directors create something very strong, where our guests can feel part of the mood we are trying to evoke, that they become immersed in the decoration. And I think we have reached our objective.”
Photo of the entrance floral display at the Hotel Metropole, by Studio Phenix
The display begins in the entrance hall where, below the hotel’s elegant chandelier, a flower-laden wooden window frames the lobby like a scene straight out of a Disney fairy tale.
The lobby itself is an explosion of colour, with cherry blossoms, orchids and hydrangeas delicately embracing a wooden swing upon which guests can sit and snap their perfect Instagram pic.
The story continues on the backwall, with a forest of green and pink. It is an oasis of tranquillity and is, arguably, the hotel’s finest floral installation to date.
A family passion
The display was created by Monegasque company Roni, a family business of four generations whose works are commissioned for celebrity events, luxury hotels and exclusive restaurants throughout the world.
Passion, creativity and an eye for detail have been handed down the generations to Nicolas Barelier, who serves as Artistic Director, alongside his siblings Emmanuel, Jean-Marie and Audrey.
The installation at the Metropole Hotel is a seamless blend of fresh and silk flowers, which were handmade especially for this project. Remarkably, it took just three days to complete the display.
“We are honoured to return to the Metropole Hotel,” Nicolas Barelier told Monaco Life. “They are the only ones who really let us imagine what we want, which is very important. The concept this year is clearly spring, but we want it to say: ‘Welcome to the Hotel Metropole. Take a seat, and have your picture taken.”
Nicolas (top) and Emmanuel Barelier (bottom) of Roni, photo by Monaco Life
The extravagant display will not only be admired by hotel guests but also customers who have eagerly awaited the reopening of Michelin-starred restaurant Yoshi.
“I have guests who love Yoshi so much they have booked the restaurant three times for the next week or so,” revealed Serge Ethuin. “We are delighted, because in these first days, when our international and French customers cannot come to eat in Monegasque restaurants, we can welcome our regulars, our locals… so we are reopening almost for the family. It’s fantastic.”
In addition to the award-winning Japanese restaurant, the hotel’s bar and its terrace have also reopened, as well as room service for hotel guests. However, the French restaurant and the Odyssey restaurant surrounding the pool will remain closed because of health restrictions.
Behind closed doors
The five-month renovation has completely revamped the kitchens of the hotel, reinvigorating Chef Christophe Cussac and his team.
“People do not see what has been done in the back of house, but it is a revolution for our teams, it is so exciting,” Chef Cussac told Monaco Life, adding that guests can expect some new dishes among the tried-and-tested signature plates of the restaurant because, “our customers who come regularly will have missed our dishes.”
After securing their dream kitchens, Chef Cussac and his team are now anxiously awaiting the second phase of renovation which will reconceptualise all of the restaurants.
“We know that there are still two phases coming, especially in the restaurants and guest rooms, and I am already projecting myself there,” said the chef. “Then we will do something different, a completely different concept with the restaurant itself.”
Metropole Hotel Managing Director Serge Ethuin and Executive Chef Christophe Cussac, by Monaco Life
Opening at half capacity
As one of only a handful of palaces in Monaco, the intimate Metropole Hotel should be reopening to a full list of bookings during the event-heavy month of May. However, with travel restrictions still in place and audience numbers heavily reduced, the hotel’s figures have been drastically reduced.
“We are more than 60% behind the number of bookings of the last Historic Grand Prix of Monaco, which was three years ago,” said the hotel managing director. “But we are happy because our opening is good for the destination, for the image of Monaco, and it is good for us.”
For the fast-approaching Monaco Grand Prix in late May, Mr Ethuin says the hotel is 40% booked. “We have adjusted our strategy to allow people to stay for a shorter period as opposed to the four-day minimum. So, we may be full on the Saturday and Sunday, and at least that is good news.”
Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo
Phase two
The original plan was to close the hotel again in October 2021 for phase two of the renovation, the largest stage that would tackle all of the bedrooms, the creation of new exceptional suites, and the refurbishment of restaurants, the lobby bar and banqueting rooms over a period of six months.
However, because of the Covid epidemic, the strategy has changed.
“We will not close at all this year anymore,” revealed Mr Ethuin. “We are reducing the second closure as much as possible to perhaps only the month of January or February. As a result, we might have to close for a third time, but again it will be for a very short period of time with as few disruptions to our guests as possible. Our strategy is changing, but fundamentally we want to stay in business as much as possible for our local and international market.”
