Just a week after the Monte-Carlo Rally, the historic version of the iconic race arrives in the Principality on Friday with iconic cars of bygone eras making their way to Monaco from across Europe.
The racing will begin on Saturday with amateurs and motorsport enthusiasts tackling some of the toughest routes of the region’s mountainous terrain. The grid will then return to Monaco for the prize-giving ceremony on Wednesday to round off a special fortnight in the Principality’s sporting calendar.
An event for amateurs, participants of the 25th edition of the Historic Monte-Carlo Rally will begin their journey from five different destinations, all of which are classic courses on the WRC calendar. Over the course of a week, iconic cars of the past will make their way from Bad Homburg, Oslo, London, Turin and Reims to Monaco, arriving in the Principality on Friday ahead of the start of the competition the next day.
The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing five concerts dedicated to the works of one of the classical world’s most prolific and famous composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, from the end of January.
Fans of the musical genius have something to look forward to this month as the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (OPMC) is gearing up for a series of performances running from 27th January to 5th February with their Mozart in Monaco event.
The opening night will feature pianist David Bismuth accompanied by Liza Kerob on violin, Frederico Andres Hood on alto and cellist Thierry Amadi, who will be playing pieces by both Mozart and that other classical master, Ludwig von Beethoven.
Then on Sunday 29th, the OPMC’s Artistic and Musical Director Kabuki Yamada will be conducting an evening with pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen and violinists Liza Kerob and Ilyoung Chae, who will be performing four Mozart classics.
Then on Tuesday 31st, the OPMC will be hosting a Musical Happy Hour featuring Matthieu Bloch and Martin Lefèvre on oboe, Marie Barrière-Bilote and Diana Sampaio on clarinet, Arthur Menrath and Michel Mugot on bassoon, Patrick Peignier and David Pauvert on horns, and Matthias Bensmana on bass. They will be playing extracts from all-time favourites, including from the Enchanted Flute and Don Giovanni.
On Friday 3rd February, a completely different concert will take place featuring Xavier de Maistre on harp under the direction of Bernard Labadie. The renowned harpist will perform three pieces by Mozart, which are sure to be as hauntingly beautiful as his instrument itself.
Finally on Sunday 5th, soprano Fatma Saïd will sing pieces by Mozart and Franz Schubert alongside pianist Martin Helmchen, violinist Antje Weithaas, cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, and clarinetist Marie Barrière-Bilote.
Ticket prices start at €17, with Happy Hour prices running at €13. For reservations and more information, visit the OPMC website.
In Part I of Monaco Life’s Real Estate Review for 2022, we look at the impressive growth – in volume and in yield – of the Principality’s new build sector.
2022 was a good year all round for the real estate industry in Monaco. 520 transactions were completed, up 18.2% on the previous year, and overall sales reached an estimated €3.54 billion. This latter figure represents a rise of more than 50% on returns in 2021.
But it was in the new build sector that the biggest gains were to be had. It was the best year in at least a decade in terms of volume sold and prices reached, as total sales for new builds cleared the €1 billion mark – topping €1.19 by the end of December – for the first time ever.
146 new apartments reached the open market over the course of the last 12 months: 71 from Villa Trianon in the Quartier du Port neighbourhood, 63 from the L’Exotique section of the EVOS project that borders the Jardin Exotique, 10 from the Villa Portofino in the heart of the Condamine district, and two from the Villa Farniente II in La Rousse.
As 2022 came to a close, 88 of these had been confirmed as sold. This is in itself a record number and a volume that quadrupled from 2021 to 2022. Total profit saw a fivefold increase on the previous year, and between 2021 and 2022, the average price of a new build in the Principality increased by 32% to €13.5 million, although the median price fell by 12.8%. One in six new builds sold for over €20 million.
Two-bedroom apartments were the most popular (24 were sold), closely followed by studios (23) and then three-bedroom flats (21). The four-bedroom and over category, which saw 13 sales, produced the largest overall return: €564.4 million. Villas, three of which were sold last year, fall into this category.
Although statistics exclusively pertaining to the price-per-square-metre for new builds is not yet available, IMSEE reports that after a noticeable increase of 9% during 2021, the average price-per-square-metre fell by 1.8% in 2022, which equates to a drop of roughly €1,000. Still, property in Monaco is typically selling at almost €51,000 per-square-metre. This has risen by more than 60% in the last 10 years.
Thanks to a significant donation by the Société des Bains de Mer European Games Syndicate, the Scientific Centre of Monaco will be able to purchase the nano technology it needs to speed up its research into childhood brain cancer.
The Stem Cells and Brain Tumors team at the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM) is on a mission to better understand how brain tumours appear in children. The team’s recent research showed that “developmental accidents” that occur during foetal life account for a high proportion of cases.
The problem is, the treatments used for children are based systematically on those developed to battle against adult cancers, despite the situations being extremely different.
“The development of therapeutic strategies specific to paediatric cancers therefore represents a necessity and an opportunity to significantly improve their care,” said Dr. Vincent Picco, the leader of the CSM team. “It’s in this goal that we develop our research projects. While waiting for specific medication, the other major challenge in paediatric oncology consists, in the short term, in optimising existing treatments, in particular radiotherapy, with the aim of limiting the side effects.”
In its efforts to better understand the nature of the events responsible for the emergence of embryonic tumours, CSM researchers are utilising genetic analysis using a device called a spectrophotometer.
The SBM European Games Syndicate’s donation will allow the laboratory to upgrade its hardware to the more advanced Nanodrop version. “This kind of spectrophotometer allows us to measure the concentration of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) with high precision, on small volumes of solution of the order of a microlitre – one millionth of a litre, the size of an ant’s head – and very quickly,” explains Dr. Picco. “The use of this spectrophotometer will therefore result in a greater efficiency and significant time savings for the teams and therefore for the development of research programs.”
The official cheque handover will take place on 31st January.
In a strong start to the year for Monegasque diplomacy, the Principality’s recently appointed ambassador to Italy has headed to Rome for her first consular meeting.
Recently appointed Ambassador Anne Eastwood hit the ground running as she held her first consular meeting in Rome on 20th January. This gathering brought together Monaco’s representatives in Italy as well as those of the embassy’s other nearby countries of accreditation, such as Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Malta and San Marino.
Eastwood took stock of the past year, mentioning the three trips Prince Albert II made to Italy last year in conjunction with the Historic Sites of Grimaldi network, but mostly turned her focus to the future.
She spoke of her intentions to strengthen the Monaco Destination Ambassadors network, which is designed to promote the attractiveness of the Principality in Italy. As such, a special event will be organised for 31st May on the centenary of Prince Rainier III’s birth, Monaco’s former sovereign who is credited with opening Monaco up to the international scene.
Back in Monaco…
Also on 20th January, Monaco’s Counsellor-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, spoke to the over 90 ambassadors accredited to the Principality for the first time at an event organised by Christophe Steiner, Monaco’s ambassador to France.
Berro-Amadeï spoke out about the Ukraine, security, climate and food issues as well as the energy crisis, and highlighted the Monaco government’s commitments toward fostering a “just, inclusive and sustainable society”. She noted that, as 2023 is the Principality’s 30th year as a United Nations member state, the nation is continuing to deal in multilateralism and dealing with common challenges being faced. Her message aimed at further strengthening the bonds of trust and friendship that the Principality maintains with 156 states, and received a particularly warm welcome as evidenced by the large representation at the event.
A network of remotely controlled underwater camera and video systems, designed to document marine flora and fauna, have been sent out from Monaco to measure the health of its coast.
Technology is an amazing thing, especially when it allows the world to see, track and keep records of places not normally accessible.
This is the case with Professor Jessica Meeuwig’s technology company Blue Abacus, a pioneering marine science firm based at the University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia. Their camera system uses baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) to film, count and analyse populations of fish and other marine species, and it is being deployed here in one of the first experiments to cover the Mediterranean.
For a year, the system will create a log of information that can be used to help in Monaco’s sea protection efforts, with the hope of reversing current alarming trends. The project comes with the full support of the Prince Albert II Foundation (FPA2) and collaborative efforts from Community Jameel and the Monegasque Association for the Protection of Nature.
“The FPA2 is pleased to join forces with Community Jameel, Blue Abacus and the Monegasque Association for the Protection of Nature, with the objective of improving knowledge on the diversity of the species living in the deep waters of the Larvotto marine reserve,” said Olivier Wenden, the vice-president and CEO of the FPA2. “Supporting the development of scientific data through innovative tools is an essential condition for ensuring optimal protection of the marine environment. The cameras will enable us to develop our knowledge without disturbing marine life which, I believe, is a real added value.”
The Mediterranean is a recognised biodiversity hotspot, boasting 15,000 to 25,000 species, and is remarkable in that 60% of the plant life is endemic. About a third of the Mediterranean’s sea creatures are also unique to the region.
Many of the native species are considered vulnerable, endangered or threatened with extinction, due to habitat degradation, pollution, invasive species and overexploitation.
“This project combines Monaco’s long history of pioneering ocean science and combating climate change’s threat to aquatic environments,” says George Richards, the director of Community Jameel.
