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Month: August 2022

New expo celebrates the tastes and talents of the Med

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/08/2022

The first ever Monaco Mediterranée Salon is being held in September, bringing together the best of Monaco, France, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Greece and Turkey.

The Monaco Mediterranée Salon is a unique event during which various specialties from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are brought together under one convenient roof.  These countries include Monaco, France, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Greece and Turkey.

The aim is to form a direct relationship between the public and the many craftsmen, producers, manufacturers and local distributors present and to discover the diversity of their separate cultures.

The exhibition features artisans from various sectors within Fashion and Lifestyle, Art and Gastronomy.

The Big Top in Fontvielle will be filled with exhibitors, each showcasing their unique knowledge and experience, quality products and varied flavours.

Everything from olive oil and clothing to beer and precious gems will be on offer, as well as information on the countries and cultures themselves.

It will be the first celebration of the Mediterranean of its kind held in the Principality.

The Monaco Mediterranée Salon will be held from the 2nd to 4th September at the Chapiteau de Fontvielle. Tickets are priced at 5€ for one day, with special two and three day passes available. Children under 12 years enter for free.

For more details, visit: https://monacomediterranee.com/en/

 

 

Photo by Stephanie Horsman, Monaco Life

 

 

 

Jordan Loyd: “I’m hoping I can find a home here”

by: Luke Entwistle
25/08/2022

American basketball player Jordan Loyd has told Monaco Life he hoping to trade his nomadic lifestyle for stability in the Principality as he joins a Roca Team aiming to reach the next level.

In his professional career, Loyd is yet to spend more than one season at any one club. Since 2016, he has played for Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Hapoel Eilat, Toronto Raptors, Valencia, Crvena Zvezda and Zenit St Petersburg.

Arriving at his seventh club, he is hoping to put an end to life on the road and settle at AS Monaco Basketball. He told Monaco Life, “I’ve bounced around the last few years due to a few things outside of my control that I can’t really do anything about. I’m positive that I can find a home here.” On signing a two-year contract with the club, he added, “The length of the contract really stood out to me. I really want to be somewhere stable.”

During the exclusive interview with Monaco Life, he described the living situation in the Principality as “crazy,” and revealed that family members had already booked to come to Monaco before he himself had booked his ticket.

But it wasn’t just the Riviera lifestyle that lured Loyd to Monaco. At the club, he will be working with a familiar face in the shape of coach Sasa Obradovic, with whom he worked during his time at Crvena Zvezda. “Of course, I have a relationship with coach Sasa. He left a pretty good impact on me…I had other offers, but for me, having the coach here, someone I had already played for, somebody I had connected with in the past, that made the decision a little bit easier.”

Another pivotal factor for Loyd was the Roca Team project itself, and having a sense of agency in their continued growth. He is yet to experience play-off basketball in the Euroleague, and with Monaco, he is hoping to achieve that dream, whilst taking them into the final-four for the first time.

“The direction that the club is going made me want to join. They have a lot of expectations and I felt that I could have a really major role here and a really positive impact. I want to take the team to a new level…Monaco was always at the top. I talked to them first. I’m a big believer in going somewhere where you’ll be able to play and make a big impact and this stuck out to me,” said Loyd.

The new recruit said that he feels in good physical condition going into pre-season, which will begin in Bormio, Italy on 25th August. He has played less basketball than most of his teammates in recent times due to the war in Ukraine. When the conflict broke out in February, he, like many of his teammates, left Russia. Although he did return to Zenit to finish the domestic season, the club’s suspension from the Euroleague deprived him of the chance of finishing the European season, which likely would have included an appearance in the play-offs.

Loyd revealed the mental toll of the complicated situation in Russia: “Mentally, it was a lot. We had a great team at Zenit and I think we had huge expectations and it was obviously cut short, for good reasons and we understand everything. But it was tough, mentally, to watch the other teams keep playing and competing in Euroleague play-offs. I haven’t been to the play-offs before so I was really looking forward to it.”

However, he is now looking forward and hoping to contribute to another impressive Roca Team season. “Things happen, you’ve got to roll with the punches and keep moving forward. I’m a glass half full type of guy so I’m just happy to have a new start, a new beginning and we’ll see what happens,” said Loyd.

 

 

SEE ALSO:

SASA OBRADOVIC: “WE WANT TO WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THE CLUB’S HISTORY”

 

 

Photo above source: AS Monaco Basketball

 

 

 

France axed from F1 schedule, is Monaco next?

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/08/2022

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali confirmed on Wednesday that the French Grand Prix, held at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet, will not be on the F1 calendar in 2023. Attention now turns to Monaco.

The Grand Prix de France had returned to the F1 schedule in 2018 after 10 years of absence. But that now appears to be a very short-lived revival.

Speaking to several press during a roundtable on Wednesday afternoon, Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of Formula One Group, announced that the race being held at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet would not be taking place next year. But he added that it was possible it could return “in the future”.

“We are discussing with the French Federation, and with the government, because more and more the future is also linked to promoters who see this as an investment for the country, for the community,” said Stefano Domenicali, according to Nice-Matin.

“So the discussions are very, very open for a great future. And as you know, one possibility, not next year but in the future, could be to find some kind of rotation proposal that would allow everyone to be part of the calendar. Because I think it’s a matter of respect.”

All eyes are now on the Principality for a conclusion to negotiations between the Automobile Club of Monaco and Liberty Media, the new owners of Formula 1, about the future of the legendary Monaco Grand Prix.

The Belgium Grand Prix is also facing the cut, meaning this weekend’s race could possibly be the last. “It is true that we are working with other promoters to see if they are ready to commit. We want to find the right balance, at least one third in Europe, one third in the Far East, and the other in America/Middle East,” said Domenicali. “Of course, we are talking about a sector where the investments and the financial contribution are very important, but we have always said that the traditional races, which we know cannot bring the money that others bring, have our full respect. They will be respected in future discussions with Belgium, as with France and Monaco.”

SEE ALSO:

Why a cloud of uncertainty lingers over the Monaco Grand Prix

Interview with Charles Leclerc: “I don’t believe in bad luck”

 

 

Photo credit: Lion Stone Events

 

 

 

Artcurial Monaco welcomes Olga de Marzio as new Director

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/08/2022

Olga de Marzio has been announced as the new director of high-end auction house Artcurial, where she will take over the branch’s growth strategy and management.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela and of German origin and Italian by adoption, Olga de Marzio is a true woman of the world. She studied Visual Arts and Communication in Rome before starting her career with a wine producer in Tuscany as International Marketing Manager, before moving to Monaco in 2004.

For a decade, she worked for one of the Principality’s largest wealth management banks as client marketing manager before becoming the manager of an online art gallery linked to the Fondazione Volume, the Foundation of Contemporary Art in Rome. She also was president of an organisation that raises environmental awareness among young people.

“I am delighted and honoured to join Artcurial in this year which coincides with its 20th anniversary,” said Olga de Marzio. “In a short time, it has become one of the most important auction houses in Europe and a benchmark in Monaco. I will work now to continue its development in the region.”

Artcurial has been in the Principality since 2006, but became a permanent fixture in 2015 when it opened a dedicated auction site. By 2019, the company had a new exhibition space on Boulevard des Moulins where they presented major works going under the gavel as well as a place to meet with collectors.

The auction house is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Last year, the company saw sales of more than €32 million, an increase of 50% compared to 2020. The Principality has become the second most profitable place for sales, after Paris and ahead of Marrakech.

Olga de Marzio replaces former director Louise Grether, who is now heading Sotheby’s new gallery in the Principality.

 

 

 

How you can help fill The White Pirate’s treasure chest for sick kids

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/08/2022

The Monaco Mairie is once again taking part in the White Sails operation, where the White Pirate visits ports up and down the coast collecting all the games and toys he can for the benefit of local hospitalised children.

The White Pirate will set sail again this September, braving the high seas, the winds and the rain to visit 27 ports between Marseille and Monaco with one objective in mind: to deliver his treasure to the Lenval Foundation in the Bay of Nice, which will then pass on the booty to hospitalised children.

As part of the White Sails Bettimask (Les Voiles Blanches Bettimask) project, from the 3rd to the 25th September, The White Pirate will stop at each port to collect chests filled with goodies. In Monaco, the chests are located at two communal sites, the Mairie and the Condamine Market, where the public are encouraged to drop off a new, unwrapped toy to help fill the chests.

The toys will be distributed by hospital nursing staff over the next several months, bringing a bit of joy to sick kids.

The White Pirate himself is a former sailing instructor, skipper, courier and merchant marine sailor. His experience, spanning a dozen years, has also led him to take on sailing regatta competitions and leisure sailing, which he continues to practice.

Additionally, he works with people of all ages who have motor skill or mental disabilities, using sailing as a way to help with personal development.

Since 2020, more than 4,000 toys and games have been collected and the project has the support of many local names including Louis Ducruet, navigator Yvan Griboval, freediver Pierre Frolla, singer Olivia Dorato and comedian Hassan. The Monegasque companies Bettimask, Global IP Solutions, the Centre Immobilier Pastor, the Yacht Club of Monaco and the Lions Club are also participants.

 

Video of Monaco valet crashing Ferrari goes viral

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/08/2022

A hapless valet near Casino Square has crashed a LaFerrari worth over €3 million in front of the hypercar’s furious owner… and it’s all been caught on video.

The valet on Monaco’s Avenue des Spélugues, just off Casino Square, had an incredibly bad night when he crashed a client’s 2013 Ferrari, sold originally for just over €1 million but due to the car’s rarity is now worth upward of €3 to €5 million, into a couple of scooters, one with the driver still sitting on it.

The incident was filmed in its entirety and has now gone viral.

The valet had slowly pulled the electric blue LaFerrari model, a hybrid hypercar that has come to be seen as a modern classic, to a stop next to the curb, leaving the ignition on. After a short time, the valet climbed out and started to close the butterfly door, at which point the 950 brake-horsepower monster began to move forward.

As the valet panicked, he attempted to jump back in to the moving vehicle, but the Ferrari ploughed into two scooters parked a few metres away. One man had to jump to avoid being hit by the car.

It all unfolded in front of the Ferrari’s owner, who came running from across the road shouting profanities and demanding the valet get out of the car.

A man is forced to jump out of the way as the LaFerrari rolls into parked scooters outside the Rampoldi restaurant. Image taken from GE Supercars YouTube video

No one was hurt, except the valet’s pride and the owner’s wallet and only minor damage was sustained on the nose and downforce generating front splitter. On a car such as this though, even those small repairs are likely to be expensive, perhaps tens of thousands of euros.

It is unclear how this whole episode happened in the first place, but speculation by those who have seen the video leans toward the attendant simply not being able to engage the electronic handbrake or that the car had been left in automatic mode and the handbrake either failed or had not been correctly put on, which led to the car moving forward when the door was closing.

The LaFerrari is one of three trailblazing vehicles that uses hybrid power whilst still maintaining impressive levels of performance.

Released alongside the McLaren P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder, the three cars are referred to as the “Holy Trinity” and paved the way for a new, electrically charged era of hyper cars.

The Ferrari was spotted the next morning cruising the streets of the Principality, so no real harm done, but the video lives on for the world to see.