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Month: March 2023

Placido Domingo cancels for La Traviata, but promises a return in April

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/03/2023
placido domingo

Spanish opera legend Placido Domingo has pulled out of his engagements at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo for “very personal family reasons”, but has eased the blow somewhat by announcing a special performance will take place in April.  

The Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s coup of landing the great Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo in the upcoming productions of La Traviata has been dashed with the announcement that he will not be able to attend.  

The opera, which will be performed on 17th, 19th and 23rd March, will have to go on without Domingo, who has cited “very personal family reasons” for pulling out last minute.  

To ease the blow, he has announced that he will return to the Opera’s Salle Garnier on 21st April for one exceptional night in a concert called Placido and Cecilia: A Grand Opera Evening, with Ceceilia being Cecilia Bartoli, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s director and a celebrated mezzo-soprano singer in her own right.  

“I have always felt closely attached to the Monte-Carlo Opera and its audience, and was eager to return to perform on the historic stage of the Salle Garnier, where I had not sung for over 40 years,” said Domingo in a statement, going on to add, “My desire to meet the Monegasque public again remains extremely keen. For this reason, I hope to mitigate your disappointment by creating a unique and exceptional event.”  

The concert will start at 8pm. For tickets and more information, please click here. 

 

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.  

 

Photo source: Opéra de Monte-Carlo

Fuel shortages will “intensify” says union boss as pension reform wars wage on

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/03/2023
fuel shortage france

Disruptions to fuel provisions will get worse before they get better, the Secretary General of CGT’s National Federation of Chemical Industries has declared, as union bosses try to force the government’s hand on pension reform. 

Protests against France’s pension reform are still in full swing, with unions telling motorists to brace themselves for fuel shortages in the coming days and weeks.  

Emmanuel Lépine, Secretary General of the National Federation of Chemical Industries (FNIC-CGT), told FranceInfo on Monday 20th March that widespread shortages were inevitable. 

TOTAL SHUT DOWNS 

This comes after an announcement by the CGT union on Saturday 18th March regarding the shutdown of the largest refinery in France, with others following suit, including several in the Bouches-du-Rhône. The ExxonMobil refinery in Fos-sur-Mer has already been shut down due to production and shipping stoppages. The neighbouring regions of the Gard and Vaucluse are also forecasting similar closures.  

“The port entry fuel depot in Marseille is also blocked,” says Lépine. “I have never seen such determination amongst oil workers.” 

In the Bouches-du-Rhône, 17% of service stations have neither Unleaded 95 nor diesel as of the morning of Monday 20th March, according to estimations by FranceInfo.  

NICE PROTESTS CONTINUE 

Meanwhile in Nice, protests on Sunday 19th March called by the CGT, FSU and Solidaires unions led to a violent reaction, which saw the offices of the president of the Republican party, Eric Ciotti, vandalised. The protestors graffitied the site and threw paving stones through windows.  

Reacting to the vandals, Ciotti tweeted, “I will never give in to the new disciples of terror.” 

Demonstrators also hit the streets the following day, with between 120 and 150 installed in front of the hospital in Cimiez.  

Another round of strike actions is set for Thursday 23rd March, which will affect transport and other sectors.  

CENSURE? 

All this fuss is over the French government ramming the controversial pension reform bill through and bypassing parliament. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is facing two no-confidence votes in the National Assembly’s lower house, with debates set to begin on Monday 20th March.  

While her allies have the largest number of MPs, they don’t have an absolute majority. This could mean defeat if the entire opposition unites in one of the votes.  

The level of anger over a two-year rise to the retirement age, one the government deems necessary for the fiscal health of the nation, has divided the country and turned it into a battle ground, disrupting the lives of the public and leaving much of Europe scratching their heads.  

 

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Photo by Monaco Life

Beausoleil Stair Race 2023: Mother and son take the win

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/03/2023
beausoleil stair race

Athletes participating in the Beausoleil Stair Race over the weekend climbed an astounding 66 flights of stairs at top speed in a race against the clock. 

Anyone who has taken the stairs to the heights of Beausoleil knows it is not for the faint of heart, so imagine a scenario where you have to run!  

That is precisely what happened on Saturday 18th March, when 70 participants donned their running shoes to take on the Beausoleil stairs – all 427 of them – for the 23rd annual Beausoleil Stair Race.  

ONE-OF-A-KIND EVENT 

This unusual contest starts at the market at the bottom of the Riviera Palace and ends 66 flights later at the top of the town, using steam from the runner’s legs only: no escalators, no aids and no stopping.  

“This famous race can only take place here, the stairs of the city are an integral part of our daily lives and of the urban landscape,’ said Gérard Spinelli, Beausoleil’s mayor. 

The course is 350 metres, with a total elevation gain of 70 metres, which may not seem like much until being tasked to do it.  

AND THE WINNERS ARE… 

The winners were, for the men, Quentin Raibaut from the Vésubie Trail Club, who made the grade in a super-fast one minute and 27 seconds. He was only one second shy of the all-time record.  

The women’s winner will sound familiar: Valérie Raibaut from AS Monaco Athletics, who shares a name with the men’s winner as she is his mother. She came in at one minute and 58 seconds.  

The race also featured two disabled participants: Valérie Hirschfield, who bravely raced with only one leg, and Aladji Ba, the blind sprinter who was a double bronze medallist at the Paralympic Games in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.  

“Compared to athletics, it represents an effort of a runner of about 400 or 800m,” said Jean-François Piccini, creator of the Course des Escaliers, to demonstrate the difficulty level.  

 

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.  

 

Photo source: Ville de Beausoleil

Airport extension protesters take to the streets amid fears of environmental impact

by: Elsa Carpenter
20/03/2023
nice airport extension terminal 2

Protestors have taken their fight against the Terminal 2 extension of Nice Airport to the streets in a years-long battle that has been dismissed by the courts. 

The expansion of the terminal, which will add 25,000m2 over two floors of the embarkment area and six new gates, has been in the works since 2017. The Prefecture for the Alpes-Maritimes gave the green light for the project in January 2020 and France’s Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, also confirmed his approval for the extension earlier this month.  

Some locals, however, are not happy and, after several failed attempts to get the plans annulled by the courts, around 400 protestors took to the Promenade on the weekend.  

Yellow tape resembling the type used by police at a crime scene was strung up between palm trees and protesters spoke widely to reporters about the climatic and environmental threats the extension could have on the area.  

“Nice Airport borders a Natura 2000 zone,” one told France 3. “There are 240 protected species here [and] important flora to conserve.” 

Work has already begun at the airport, but a recently deposed complaint by protesters, notably from the France Nature Environnement federation, to the Administrative Court in Marseille hopes to bring that to a halt. They await a date to be heard.  

Extension and adaptation of pre-existing infrastructure  

“The extension will be made to an already tarmac-ed area,” said Christophe Béchu in an on air interview with France Bleu Azur when questioned about the environmental impact the project will have on the neighbouring Natura 2000 zone. It echoed previous statements made by Franck Goldnadel, the chairman of the Board of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.  

In 2022, more than 12 million passengers passed through Nice Airport. In 2019, the last big year for travel pre-Covid, that figure stood at 14.5 million. The airport anticipates a 30% rise in passenger numbers in the coming years and says expansion of Terminal 2 is necessary in order to keep up.  

A spokesperson for Nice Airport says the project will allow the travel hub to welcome up to 18 million passengers and 1,000 extra flights annually. The new gates are expected to be operational by summer 2025 and all construction complete by 2026. Works will be temporarily suspended during springtime to allow bird species in the area to nest in peace.  

 

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Photo source: Pixabay

Football: AS Monaco Women part ways with Laurent Banide

by: Luke Entwistle
20/03/2023

AS Monaco Women have parted ways with Laurent Banide with the club set to once again miss out on promotion from the Régionale 1.

Former AS Monaco manager Banide was brought in to replace Stéphane Guigo at the beginning of the season. The appointment came in the wake of the disappointing loss against Toulouse in the play-off final, which consigned Les Monégasques to another season in the Régionale 1.

Tony Ribeiro takes charge in the interim

However, the club look set to fall short of those expectations, despite a considerable recruitment drive over the summer. Following a loss against AS Cannes Football, Monacowill again almost certainly miss out on promotion. With only the top side set for promotion, Monaco’s destiny is out of their hands, and only a shock Cannes loss would offer them the possibility of promotion to the D3.

As well as Banide, Christophe Almeras has also left the club. The club’s youth coach, Tony Ribeiro, replaces the duo and will take charge of ASM Women until the end of the season.

Roles for Louis Ducruet and Jean Petit

As well as the managerial change, there is movement behind the scenes. Louis Ducruet, nephew of Prince Albert II and former employee at AS Monaco, arrives at the club in order to contribute to the growth and development of the AS Monaco Women’s side. Ducruet, who recently spoke to Monaco Life about his sporting ambitions, left his recruitment role at Premier League side Nottingham Forest earlier this season.

Jean Petit, a former Monaco player and manager as well as a French international, joins the club in the role of sporting advisor to the president. These changes aren’t expected to reap rewards in the short-term, with the club already looking towards earning promotion next season.

 

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Photo from ASM FF

Liam Gallagher of Oasis snaps up Noel Edmonds’ villa in Grasse

by: Elsa Carpenter
19/03/2023
liam gallagher grasse

After a visit to Grasse earlier this year, Liam Gallagher of the band Oasis has splashed out nearly €3.5 million on a villa near the city that was previously owned by Noel Edmonds, according to the British press.  

In early January, local fans of the British band spotted Liam Gallagher and his family eating lunch in the Place aux Aires of Grasse. 50-year-old Gallagher chatted with passersby and reportedly told one that he was spending a couple of days checking out the city.  

Now that the news has broken that the band’s frontman has bought a villa not far from Grasse, one can guess that Gallagher may have been here to sign the compromis de vente on his newest property purchase.  

The villa, which is believed to have sold for around €3.4 million, is a six-bedroom stone manoir that sits against a backdrop of green hills and forest to the east of the city. It supposedly comes with its own vines and olive groves as well as a swimming pool on a considerable stretch of land. 

The previous owner was British TV presenter and gameshow host Noel Edmonds, who listed the property for €4 million with high-end agency James Edition in 2018. It is not confirmed if the same agency is behind the recent sale.  

Gallagher revealed an affinity for France back in 2017 during an interview with the Sunday Mirror. 

“I’m definitely moving to Paris,” he said. “By the time I am 50 I am going to live in Paris. I will rock a beret easy. I’ll rock the onions as well and a stripy thing and a wonky bike with a baguette on my arm. I’ll rock that… We love it and Debbie [Gwyther, his fiancée and manager] speaks French so she can do all the ordering.” 

Grasse might not be the French capital, but it is the world capital of perfume, and fans of the singer will be hoping to see more of the famous Mancunian in and about the city in the future.  

 

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Photo source: James Edition