The long-awaited car park under the Port Hercule has finally opened to the public, offering motorists in Monaco an extra 175 parking spaces.
The new car park, located on Route de la Piscine in the northern harbour of Port Hercule, was baptised ‘Parking Louis Chiron’ on Friday 8th July, in honour of the Monegasque racing driver, just like the famous Virage de la Piscine which adjoins it.
In addition to the new car park, the esplanade of boulevard Albert 1er has been widened and the area now houses the new Car Collection of H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco.
The car park is being operated by the Service des Parkings Publics, and consists of three levels plus ground floor, providing for a total capacity of 175 spaces spread over 7,000m2 of surface area.
It also has a Monaco ON area with 10 charging points for electric vehicles.
Ideally located for visitors to the car museum, it will also serve the customers of the many shops and restaurants on the Port, who can reach the car park via two lifts leading onto the the esplanade of Boulevard Albert 1er.
Photo by Michael Alesi, Government Communication Department
Police Academy celebrates grads and hands out promotions
The new lieutenants and trainee police officers were given their epaulettes at a recent ceremony attended by Prince Albert II.
Monaco’s police force is booming. This year, they saw the addition of three new police lieutenants and 21 police officers joining as trainees. They were celebrated on 7th July at the Rainier III Auditorium for their hard work and dedication to making it to this next step.
The newly-minted police officers, which included five women, spent 10 months in theoretical training, taking lessons in things such as the highway codes, professional gestures of intervention, techniques of defence and arrest, shooting, legal provisions, languages, IT and typing. They were also given training in first aid and water rescue.
They now move onto the job where they will complete a 14-month internship before becoming full-fledged officers.
The ceremony was well-attended with local personages such as Prince Albert, Minister of the Interior Patrice Cellario, Minister of State Pierre Dartout, and Comptroller General in Charge of the Department of Public Security Richard Marangoni.
Photo by Manuel Vitali, Government Communication Department
AS Monaco Basketball manager Sasa Obradovic has signed a three-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2025. The Serbian coach’s mid-season appointment provided the club’s impetus towards the Euroleague play-offs.
The announcement comes a fortnight after the final game of the season when Monaco narrowly lost their Betclic Elite final series against Lyon-Villeurbanne (3-2). He also took the club to the Euroleague play-offs in their debut season, becoming the first club to do so.
Speaking in a press release, Obradovic reflected on last season, saying: “We lacked the title at the end. When I arrived, the situation wasn’t good. Lots of things had to change within the group in order to find chemistry between the players. When we look at the final report, we can say that we carried out some very good work considering the path that we took… We represented Monaco well on a domestic, as well as a European level.”
It is Obradovic’s second spell as manager of the Roca Team, and the second time he has arrived mid-season, this time taking over from Zvezdan Mitrovic, who himself has also had two spells at the club.
There are more parallels to be drawn. In that season, Obradovic took Monaco to the Betclic Elite final, and also lost 3-2 against Lyon-Villeurbanne. Now Obradovic is hoping to diverge from those historical parallels and write a new story.
Whereas in 2020 he parted ways to compete in the Euroleague with Red Star, he is now hoping to consolidate and build on his first season success at Monaco. “The expectations will be higher than last season, and we mustn’t hide from that, quite the opposite. Winning the French championship is important for the club, for Monaco, and for the fans. We should establish ourselves even higher in the European landscape, in the Euroleague, not only next year but in the following seasons as well.”
The latest contract is a sign of faith from the club’s hierarchy that he is the man to bring home that elusive title, and turn Monaco into a European force, whilst it also underlines Obradovic’s commitment to the project. With the ambition within the club, there is no reason why this ongoing partnership won’t reap silverware in the coming months and years.
Monaco resident Novak Djokovic recovered from a slow start in Sunday’s Wimbledon final to beat Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) to move within one title of Rafael Nadal’s grand slam record.
In beating the Australian, who was competing in his first grand slam final, Djokovic also moves to within just one Wimbledon title of Roger Federer’s record eight titles on the iconic grass court.
Kyrgios looked at ease on Centre Court as he pulled off some of his trademark audacious shots on his way to winning the first set. However, the Serbian had experience to lean on and he quickly took the ascendancy in the second set.
Whilst he looked a shadow of himself during the clay court season, especially at the Monte-Carlo Masters in April where he suffered a shock first round defeat to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Djokovic looked at home on the Wimbledon grass.
In the hunt for his fourth consecutive title at SW19, Djokovic was calmness personified, a stark contrast to Kyrgios who began to rant at his box as the match slipped away from him. Djokovic broke his opponent in the ninth game to take the third set and to within just one set of another Wimbledon title.
Both players managed to hold their serve in the fourth set, sending the match to a tie-break. Djokovic forced Kyrgios into multiple mistakes on his way to a 7-3 victory, which tied up a seventh title and leaves the Serb unbeaten at Wimbledon since 2017.
The two tempestuous characters were full of praise for each other during the on-court interviews. An enthralling final in front of a capacity 15,000 crowd consigned their previously strained relationship to the past, giving way to a “bromance” in the words of Djokovic.
With the waning of the old guard, new challengers are emerging. Kyrgios was the latest to attempt to dethrone the imperious Djokovic, and his failure to do so leaves the Serbian on the verge of tennis history. Few look capable of denying Djokovic a wealth of titles in the coming months, as history looks set to be re-written.
The Ballets de Monte-Carlo has a spectacular summer line up led by the ever-creative Jean-Christophe Maillot and performances by the Princess Grace Academy.
The Ballets de Monte-Carlo summer season begins in June and runs through mid-July featuring original performances, collaborative efforts and presenting new talent.
It all kicks off on 3rd, 4th and 5th June when the Ballet performs Coppél-i.A., an ultra-modern version of Coppelia, by choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot. The story revolves around a young couple whose love is challenged by the appearance of a being with artificial intelligence, threatening their reality and their future together. The performances can be seen at the Salle des Princes of the Grimaldi Forum at 7:30pm.
Next up on 24th and 25th June are gala performances from the students of the Princess Grace Academy. The dance school, linked to the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, are given their public debut on these nights. This year, creation was their emphasis and the stunning result is a student-conceived performance that is sure to be spell-binding. The students will take to the stage at the Salle Garnier at 7:30pm.
Finally, there will be four nights of dance from 14th to 17th July when the Ballet presents the Night of 3 Choreographers fraturing Jean-Christophe Maillot, Jirí Kylián and Mats Ek at the Salle des Princes at 7:30pm.
The three ballets being performed start with Maillot’s Back on Track 61, a tribute to Ravel’s Concerto in G, that took him on a personal journey to his childhood on the occasion of his 61st birthday.
The second is Claude Pascal from Jirí Kylián. The dance is like two in one as the dancers are divided into two distinct groups. The first is an odd family from the late 1800s dressed in period clothing to the music of Puccini, rubbing up against dancers dressed in the fashions of today, dancing to modern music. The piece is a stark reminder that the present soon becomes the past.
The last dance is Casi Casi, by Swedish choreographer Mats Ek. His 2009 ballet combines elements of two of his earlier works, Appartement and Fluke, creating a madcap atmosphere with dancers moving around objects from daily life. It is both barbed and humorous and full of poetic moments.
The Rose Ball returned on Friday night with all the grandeur and spectacle it is famous for. Among the famous faces at the Christian Louboutin-designed ball this year: Janet Jackson, Shirley Bassey, and the fashion designer himself.
It has been a long time coming. The 66th edition of the Rose Ball, in aid of the Princess Grace Foundation, was originally scheduled for 2020 but was cancelled because of Covid. It was taken off Monaco’s social calendar again in 2021 for the same reason, and was pushed from March to July this year just to increase the likelihood of it going ahead.
So, it was with a big sigh of relief from all involved that, on Friday 8th July in the Salle des Etoile at the Sporting Monte-Carlo, local personalities, A-listers, celebrities and the Princely family gathered for the 2022 Rose Ball, the theme of which was ‘The Roaring Twenties: The Return’, chosen by The Princess of Hanover – President of the Princess Grace Foundation, and shoe designer Christian Louboutin.
Prince Albert II (4th from left), with the Princess of Hanover, Christian Louboutin, Andrea and Tatiana Casiraghi, Charlotte Casiraghi and her husband Dimitri Rassam. Photo courtesy: Monte-Carlo SBM
Exactly a century after the 20s, guests found themselves in the madness of cabaret, between Hollywood and Paris. Created by the House of Drama, in collaboration with Christian Louboutin, the show took guests back in time, on a colourful journey through the century from Bauhaus to Art Deco to Disco.
Among the performing artists were Burlesque star Dita Von Teese, cabaret artist Charly Voodoo, dancer Amélie Poulain, and high-heel roller skater Marawa. In total, 14,000 roses filled the hall of the Salle des Etoile.
Dita von Teese performing at the Rose Ball. Photo courtesy: Monte-Carlo SBM
Guests included Prince Albert II of Monaco, The Princess of Hanover, Charlotte Casiraghi and her husband Dimitri Rassam, Andrea and Tatiana Casiraghi, singer Janet Jackson, US actress and model Sabrina Dhowre Elba, singer Shirley Bassey, and designer Christian Louboutin.
An extravagant raffle for the benefit of the Princess Grace Foundation featured luxurious pieces including an 18-carat yellow gold and diamond necklace from Chanel, rhinestone Louboutin shoes with matching handbag, and handbags by Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton.
The Foundation dedicates 100% of the money raised to humanitarian action for children.
Christian Louboutin and Janet Jackson at the Rose Ball. Photo courtesy: Monte-Carlo SBM
The Rose Ball (Le Bal de la Rose) was established in 1954 to launch the party season in the Principality of Monaco. From 1957, Princess Grace gave a particular international dimension to the event, connecting it each year with a rose, a show and a country and then mirroring this theme in the décor, the colours and symbols.
When the Princess Grace Foundation was created in 1964, the Princess decided to also make Le Bal de la Rose a charity event, of which the profits would be donated to the Foundation bearing her name.
Click on the gallery below for more pictures of the Rose Ball 2022, photos courtesy of Monte-Carlo SBM…
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