The 2023 summer sales are almost upon us, with deals to be found throughout the entire Principality, seven days a week, until mid-August.
The summer sales season this year starts on Wednesday 28th June and will continue until Saturday 12th August.
In order for shoppers to take advantage of the sales season, the government is once again launching the ‘Monaco Sunday Experience’, allowing the opening of a hundred stores every Sunday in the summer.
They include all of the boutiques in the Métropole Shopping Center, One Monte-Carlo, Monaco-Ville and Larvotto as well as certain brands located in the districts of Boulevard des Moulins and la Condamine.
Monaco’s Hugo Micallef, who is unbeaten since turning professional, will compete in the qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The announcement of Micallef’s participation in the -63.5kg qualifiers was made by his father André Micallef, who is also the president of ASM Boxing and vice-president of the Monaco Boxing Federation.
“The decision has been taken. He will compete in the Olympic qualifying competition next March. This competition is open to everyone, but we don’t yet know the location,” said André Micallef in the wake of his son’s latest triumph.
A bout in Monaco?
Micallef is unbeaten in his seven professional fights. His latest victory came against Michal Bulik in Heilbronn on Saturday evening. However, prior to his more recent success, the Monégasque boxer, dubbed ‘The Fresh Prince of Monaco”, lost in an Olympic qualifying competition for the 2021 games in Tokyo. Competing in the -69kg category at the time, Micallef was beaten by British boxer Pat McCormack, who went on to win silver during the Games.
Whilst Micallef’s main focus will be on securing qualification to the Olympics in Paris, which are just over a year away, preparations for next season are already underway, and his father has evoked a potential future fight in Monaco.
“I am still working to get a fight in the Principality,” said André Micallef. A qualification for the Olympics and a home fight within the borders of Monaco: 2024 could be a special year for Micallef.
Prince Albert II was among friends and compatriots for the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Yacht Club de Monaco, of which he has served as president since 1984.
The ceremony on Saturday 24th June was attended by 1,500 people who gathered on the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM)’s quay to celebrate 70 years of the club created by Prince Rainier III, who was convinced that “the future of Monaco lies with the sea”.
On Saturday, it was his son, Prince Albert II, president for close to 40 years, who honoured what the YCM has become.
“The Yacht Club de Monaco has been able to preserve and pass on the traditions linked to life at sea while promoting innovation and the development of yachting,” said the Prince.
Achievements under the presidency of Prince Albert II
Under Prince Albert’s presidency, the Yacht Club de Monaco has organised a multitude of world-renowned events, including Monaco Classic Week, a biennial event that echoes the first motorboat meetings of 1904 and is the only event of its kind that brings together beautiful traditional sailing boats with vintage motoryachts and old motorboats.
The club has also created the La Belle Classe label to unite owners around the essential values of respect for etiquette, protecting the environment, preserving maritime heritage and encouraging innovation in the superyacht sector.
The capital of luxury yachting
In 2014, the YCM turned a new page in its history with the opening of a new clubhouse designed by Lord Foster. The arrival of this spectacular building led to the creation of the ‘Yachting Monaco’ cluster, aimed at reaffirming the Principality’s position as the capital of luxury yachting.
During Saturday’s celebrations, Prince Albert spoke about how the YCM serves as a reflection of his father’s passion for the sea. “His vision was to make the YCM an exclusive place where yachting is experienced, appreciated and celebrated, thus contributing to the promotion of Monaco as a destination.”
Prince Albert inaugurated the new exhibition ‘Prince Rainier III, a sailor above all’. Photo source: YCM
Setting the pace in sustainable yachting
Prince Albert also highlighted the fact that the protection of the oceans remains one of the Yacht Club’s main priorities, and how the environmental transition played by the club and its marina has over the years made them demonstrators of new eco-responsible solutions.
“I want to make environmental issues a priority and we must continue to be a beacon for the nautical industry,” he said. “The mobilisation must be common and total.”
The Yacht Club’s commitment to sustainability is evident in the activities that fall under the aegis of the ‘Monaco Capital of Advanced Yachting’, starting with the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge from 3rd to 8th July 2023, now in its 10th edition. More than 500 young engineers representing 25 nations and 25 universities will meet industry professionals including key players such as Oceanco, Ferretti, Sanlorenzo, Lürssen, Monaco Marine and Palumbo SY Refit.
This will be followed by the 3rd Monaco Smart and Sustainable Marina Rendezvous on 24th and 25th September, with the aim of presenting innovative solutions for the development of sustainable marinas.
A tribute to Prince Rainier III
As part of the 70th anniversary celebrations, as well as the centenary events marking the birth of Prince Rainier III, Prince Albert inaugurated a photographic exhibition at the YCM titled ‘Prince Rainier III, a sailor above all’.
The evening also provided an opportunity to officially welcome some 30 new members and to unveil the highlights of this anniversary year.
To watch a 70th anniversary commemorative video by the YCM, click here.
Cross border workers are now counting down the months until train services between Cannes and Monaco are boosted to run every 15 minutes.
In 2019, the TER regional lines of the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF) in the South of France started looking at ways to expand on their existing train services. The plans were disrupted due to the health crisis, but by November 2021, two new contracts were signed launching the first phase in the scheme.
These were made up of a Transdev Rail Sud service operating on the Marseille-Toulon-Nice axis, and another on SNCF’s lines in the Côte d’Azur and Roya valley.
EXPANDING TRAIN SERVICES
Now, the highly anticipated specifics have been revealed by Renaud Muselier, President of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, on 23rd June in Marseilles.
Muselier confirmed that on the Cannes-Nice-Monaco line, “we will have a train every quarter of an hour from 6am to 11pm. This will be the first metropolitan RER outside Paris. On the entire network, we will go from 590 trains per day currently, to 750 in 2025.”
He also disclosed that, “On the Marseille-Toulon-Nice line, on 1st July 2025, we will go from seven trains a day to 14 trains a day. We are also going to buy 16 new trains for €250 million, in order to offer the best possible comfort for passengers.”
Meanwhile, the Les Arcs-Vintimille and Nice-Tende lines will go from 69 round trips per day to 120 from 13th December 2024.
Passenger travel on TER lines in the region have increased by 23% between April 2022 and April 2023, showing a strong need for expanded services.
The Monaco Mairie has celebrated the birth of 60 new babies in Monaco this past year during a traditional ceremony in the Court of Honour.
On Saturday 24th June at the City Hall, Monaco Mayor Georges Marsan and several members of the Municipal Council received the Monaco families who welcomed their first child between 1st May 2022 and 30th April 2023.
The special “Mother’s Day and Father’s Day” celebration, which has been organised every year since 2015, marks the big event that is the birth of the first child and is part of the policy implemented by the Municipal Council for families.
During the ceremony, the mayor spoke about the recent actions carried out by the Early Childhood and Families Service under the leadership of Chloé Boscagli Leclercq: the opening of three new nurseries within four years – Palais Honoria, Grand Ida and Bel Air; a new place of reception for families in the Foyer Sainte-Devote; the creation of a new Làscia e Piya! space for exchanging childcare items; and the My Daycare app project, which will allow parents to follow childcare news and activities offered within the Principality.
The mayor also spoke about the Parent Spaces, developed by the Early Childhood and Families Service, which are places for exchanges, meetings and games with professionals, allowing all questions from families to be answered.
“To raise and educate children by giving them every chance to become happy, responsible and respectful of others is a difficult task that we are facing,” said Mayor Marsan. “We have to do our best. Our children are our future, they will shape the community of the future years.”
The families were gifted with a bathrobe, embroidered with “I’m from Monaco!” in Monegasque: “Min, sun de Mùnegu!”
The legacy of Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, a great patron of the arts, lives on at the Nocturnes de la Villa, the iconic estate’s open-air summer programme of music and art de vivre.
Planned for every Monday and Tuesday night from 3rd July to 22nd August in the gardens of the stunning Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, this year’s Nocturnes de la Villa programme will be a throwback to the heyday of Baroness Béatrice, who loved to host glamourous parties and soirées in the grounds of her home.
The evenings will revolve around music in an array of forms, from Latin American to jazz, and the programme features a roster of talented artists with equally international backgrounds, such as Brazilian signer Márcio Faraco on the launch night, Canada’s opera great Marie-Nicole Lemieux on 11th July and France’s swing star Liane Foly on 18th July.
A coming together of the arts
Some nights will be accompanied by poetry readings, others by circus performances (31st July and 1st August) and dance recitals. The full programme can be found here.
Given the spectacular backdrop of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild’s gardens and the various gastronomic offerings available, such as the dinner package at the onsite restaurant for €105 and the “Panier Fraîcheur” picnic meal on the lawns for €60, this series of 16 concerts will be a true treat for the senses.
The backdrop for the series of 16 concerts in July and August. Photo credit: Marina Fadeeva
The standard entry price is €35 per person and €80 for a family of four. Reservations are required. Each of the concerts begins at 8pm and continues until midnight.
Tips on getting to the destination
Did you know that the town of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat runs a valet service from the Centenaire carpark in the port? It costs €15 and is a leisurely one-kilometre walk from the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.
Other options for driving in include the free parking spots along Avenue du Sémaphore, Avenue de Verdun and Boulevard Général de Gaulle, which are between 15 and 25 minutes from the venue on foot. A free shuttle service is also possible from these three areas, but you’ll need to hail down one of the estate’s two buggies.
The best option for public transport is the No. 15 bus from central Nice. It is in operational until 10pm and will drop you off right outside the villa at the Passable/Rothschild stop.
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 credit: Sophie Lloyd
All the headlines and highlights from Monaco, direct to you every morning
